Reunions, Recruits and Romance
by FarSide0013
Summary: DPV Part II: There is romance in the air as old faces return and new faces join the Institute. And underneath the surface, plans are forming that will alter the lives of the XMen forever.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the sequel to my story _Iceman's Promotion_ and takes place immediately following the events therein. Please read that story first. This is the second story in a series I have tentatively named Days of Past's Visions but I'm not sure if I am satisfied with that title. It could change at any point, so don't panic.**

**

* * *

**

**1**

"New discoveries were made today in Egypt, as a U.N. taskforce of military and scientific minds continue to examine the stronghold of the mutant named Apocalypse. Though much is still a mystery, recent finds made in one of the anti-chambers sheds new light on both Apocalypse and the mutant phenomenon. Head of the U.N. scientific unit Dr. Nathaniel Essex had this to say:"

"Several days ago we discovered a series of burial chambers off of the main chambers of the complex. Today genetic testing was completed and it was discovered that the mummies within did in fact possess an archaic form of the X-gene found in modern mutants. This is a fascinating discovery and lends credibility to the theories based off of the translated hieroglyphics that the mutant fashioning himself as Apocalypse could indeed be the ancient pharaoh En Sabah Nur, resurrected or possible awoken from some form of suspended animation, as well as creating some new mysteries to explore regarding the origin of the mutant species."

"Dr. Essex assured reporters that further genetic work would be forthcoming on the mummified soldiers found in the tombs. Meanwhile, military forces continue to search for signs of Apocalypse, though nothing has been found in the month since the Apocalypse Incident to prove either Apocalypse's death or survival. Head of the taskforce, U.S. intelligence operative Valarie Cooper, assures the citizens of the world that the threat of Apocalypse has been neutralized, and that the cause for alarm has ended. Cooper refused to comment on the U.S. military's alleged involvement in the Incident.

"In Washington, a new batch of bills calling for mutant registration was introduced to the Senate, the writers citing the dangers revealed in the Apocalypse Incident call for—"

The TV switched from the attractive twenty-four hour news anchor to a crowd of screaming teenagers demanding their favorite music videos.

"Hey, we were watching that!"

"What's the point, it's just the same stuff that was on yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that."

"You never know Ray, there could be something new!"

"I highly doubt it Amara."

"Who cares you guys! Sparky, turn this garbage off before I blow up the TV."

Ray quickly hit the off button to avoid any more arguments, knowing full well that Tabitha was perfectly willing to follow up on her threat. Most of the New Mutants were currently in the rec room, it being too cold outside for a swim plenty of time left in the weekend to put off homework. Tabby, Ray and Amara were sitting on a couch, now staring at the blank television. Rahne, returned to the mansion not long after Apocalypse, was lounging on a couch reading a book, while Jamie and Roberto argued over their pool game.

"You cheated!"

"I did not! I knocked that ball in three turns ago!"

"No you didn't, you just nudged it in with your elbow!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm young, not stupid!"

Rahne looked up over the top of her book at them. "Would ya two shut up? Ye're making me wish our Danger Room session hadn't been canceled."

"Come on Rahne," Jamie said, "we're not that bad. Hey, why don't we have Danger Room? Mr. McCoy never said."

"Who cares," Ray said as he turned the TV back on and began flicking through the channels. "Don't look them there gift horse in the mouth, as Sam would say."

As if called, Sam burst into the room and quickly shut the door behind him.

"Whoa, you see the ghost or something Sam?" Jamie asked. The others might make fun of him for it, but he was convinced the mansion was haunted.

"Nah, ah just heard Jean and Rogue talking. Some big stuff went down this morning!"

Tabby jumped out of her seat and turned to hang over the back of the couch to better see Sam. "Spill it Hayseed! What's going on around here that's got everyone's panties in a bunch?"

Sam pulled up one of the chairs by the pool table. "From what ah can piece together, they tried to test Bobby to see if he's going to be an X-Man, but he went ballistic or something and tried to kill Scott, then stormed off and no ones seen him since."

"Maybe that's why Kitty was crying so much," Amara said, mostly to herself.

"What!" Tabby said, turning to look at her friend.

"Well, I was walking by her room and she was crying, and I was going to try and see what was wrong but Dani was already there with her, so I came downstairs."

"People, you have to let everyone know this sort of stuff! They don't tell us anything around here 'cause they think we're a bunch of kids, so we have to keep each other in the loop. I don't know how you survived without me."

There was a round of muttering, some apologies to her, some just a verbal rolling of the eyes. Either way it satisfied her. "Okay, so Bobby tried to kill Scott. Seems a little crazy for the Popsicle, but I don't really blame him if he did. Kitty's upset about what happened, but that's still not the whole story. We can do better than this."

"I heard something," Jamie spoke up.

"And you're just now saying something? You're our main info source Multiple!"

"Sorry, I just remembered something I heard when some of my clones was getting us some drinks yesterday after school. Rogue and Scott we talking with Beast about some test and Rogue was saying how it was way too hard and that it was going to kill someone, I just thought they were talking about something Scott had to do at college. Maybe it was about what happened to Bobby."

"It probably was," Dani Moonstar said as she walked into the room and grabbed a seat in one of the recliners.

"How's Kitty doing?" Rahne asked.

"Better," said the young Cheyenne girl. "She's really upset about what they did to Bobby this morning. I guess Jean and the Professor clouded his mind or whatever and brought him to the Danger Room, where they had some program running where Sentinels attacked and captured everyone but him, and then he had to fight his way through an army of them and then something about Magneto and Bobby thought he was going to die right before they ended the program. They tried to tell him how great he did and that he was on the team but he just got angry at everyone for what they did and punched Scott."

"All right Frosty!" Tabby said.

"And then he took off and no ones seen him since."

The teens were all sitting in a circle with the same sort of shocked look on their face, all attention on Dani.

"That's not what Aye signed up for when Aye came here," Rahne said, breaking the silence. "They better not do that ta me."

"Seriously," Dani agreed. "I just want to learn how to control my powers and feel safe from all these mutant haters. I don't want to be put through crazy test to see how I handle dying. I don't want to be an X-Man!"

"Man, I always wanted to join the A-Team," Ray said, "but I really don't want to have to go through something like that."

"Poor Bobby," Amara said, "I probably would have melted Scott if he did that to me."

"Totally," Roberto added. "I woulda punched his head right off."

"Bobby did really want to be an X-Man though," Jamie said. "And he was probably excited he made the team."

"Yeah, but he did run way after the test," Amara said, "who knows if being and X-Man is what he still wants. I mean, would you really want to be on the team if they made you do that?"

"I'm just saying that if he decides to join the team we should congratulate him and stuff."

"Scott might have kicked him off though, if he really did punch him," Tabitha said, looking at Dani.

"Oh yeah, Kitty said he was laid out flat."

"So maybe he would kick Bobby off. I wouldn't be surprised since it sounds like he was the one who put the thing together. I knew the guy was crazy gung-ho about being a superhero and all, but putting someone through something like that as a test to see if they can join is just.." Tabby struggled to find the words.

"Crazy?"

"Messed up?"

"Stupid?"

"How about all of the above?" came a voice from the door. They turned and saw Bobby standing there. He was wearing a typical X-Men uniform, yellow shoulder pads, gloves and boots. But the black bodysuit had a lager blue section that ran down part of his chest and legs, as well as down the side of his arms.

"Seriously though, how awesome am I in this uniform?"

The New Mutants in the room bombarded the new X-Man, the guys patting him on the back and punching him on the shoulder, the girls hugging him (except for Tabitha, who punched him in the arm and messed up his hair.) All of them were telling him how sorry they were he had to go through what he did, and asking if he really joined the X-Men after all of that happened. He managed to get everyone back to their seats and took one himself.

"Yeah, I'm an X-Man now, just got done talking to the Professor before I changed."

"He really okayed the test?" Ray asked.

"Yeah, he helped organize and run it. And before you ask, yeah, I'm pretty mad about, and I told him he should never ever try anything like that again, on me or on any of you. I think he agreed, but you know how cryptic he can be. But I understand why he did it, and I guess I'm okay with it."

"What's so important to be putting ya through something like that?" Rahne asked. "Ya almost died."

"Yeah, I did, but I can't really talk about the whys. The Professor will tell you when he thinks you need to know."

"Great, you get out of the New Mutant uniform and you suddenly stop helping us get the lowdown? You stop dressing like us and you're suddenly no fun!" Tabby yelled at him.

"You haven't worn a New Mutant uniform since you came back, you keep wearing the Siren's one you made," Jamie said.

"Shut up Short Fry, that's not the point. The point is he's an X-Man now, no more fun Bobby Drake. It's only the Iceman, complete with frozen stick up his butt."

Bobby laughed at her. "Lighten up Tabby, I'm still the same guy. Now that I've made it on the team I can stop sucking up so much and we can bring back Joy Ride Tuesday."

Sam and Jamie, the only other two left who had regularly gone on the joy rides shared a high five, spilling several Jamies into existence. He quickly pulled himself back together.

"Whatever, Cyclops Jr.," Tabby said, but with the hint of a smile in her eyes.

"Speaking of Scott, what does he think about you being on the team after punching him like that?" Ray asked.

"Dunno, I've managed to avoid them all since this morning."

"Then you probably don't know Kitty's pretty upset," Dani said.

"She is?" he asked, knowing full well his actions after the test had probably really hurt her.

"She was crying pretty bad, but I calmed her down. Jean came by too, they were talking about it. She really doubted herself for what she helped do to you."

"I wasn't exactly nice to her after everything happened," he said, sitting back in the chair. He could feel everyone shift uncomfortably, and he could feel Tabitha's eyes boring holes into him. He looked over at her, and she continued to glare back. He shrugged, and gave her an obviously confused look.

"UGH! Men! Go up there and fix it you big idiot!"

Bobby shot up out of his chair. "Duh, right, sorry. I'm on my way. See you guys later!" He ran out of the room.

Tabitha sat back with an irked huff, crossing her arms over her chest. "Seriously, how did any of you survive without me around?"

-------------

While Bobby was down talking to the New Mutants, Jean Grey was trying to figure out what exactly was bothering Kitty.

"Kitty, I know you're still upset about all of this, but there's nothing more you can do. You can't change what happened. And the Professor assured us it had to be done, and promised that we wouldn't do it like that again. Even Scott is getting over what happened this morning. You can't keep beating yourself up over this. It's not like you planned it all out yourself."

Kitty frowned, and hugged her stuffed dragon closer to her chest. She was sitting cross legged on her bed while Jean sat in the desk chair. "It's just that we hurt him so much. What if we ruined him or something? You know, like, broke him inside, and he doesn't want to be on the team? What if he wants to leave the mansion and it's my fault?"

"Kitty, for the last time, he just got done talking to the Professor and he's joining the team, why are you so worried?"

"Ugh, it's just the way he was in there, you know. He was so... awesome. He totally trashed those Sentinels and rescued me and you saw the way he caught me, I really did faint there. Forge made the Danger Room too good. But he was so fast and right there catching me, it was all so, um, impressive, yeah, lots of good skill and you know, we could really use that type of skill on the team and all. 'Cause it's important, and like, we have to have a good team. He proved himself, right? Yeah, he's always been kinda immature, but most of the time it's a good immature, a fun immature. But he's more serious now, what with everything, he's still fun but knows when to be serious and mature. That's good for the team too. So of course we want him around more. For that. But then he went and treated me so bad after he punched Scott, it reminded me of Lance."

Jean suddenly realized something. She had been doing her best to not to read her friend's mind, like the Professor she hated to invade people's privacy. But she began to pick up something Kitty was starting to project around her mental shields. "This isn't about the test is it?"

Kitty didn't hear her, continuing to talk. "I mean, he wasn't nearly as bad as Lance was, and he was angry but managed to stay cute. I mean composed! He was angry and lost his temper but didn't completely go off the deep end. He just punched Scott. Lance would have torn down the mansion. But he just punched Scott and who hasn't wanted to punch Scott from time to time? Even you did after that whole car chase mess that lead to the Siren's right?"

"Well..."

"So that was kinda cool of him to do. But we did something wrong, I did something wrong, and maybe I screwed up the whole thing, you know? Maybe he's going to leave and I'll never see him again and then how am I going to feel? And I bet he looks real good in his new uniform."

"Kitty."

"I mean, he's going to look good being an X-Man. He's a good member of team, who cares what he looks like in the uniform; he'll be iced most of the time, right?"

"Kitty."

"But he's gotta stay, you know? Just the way he kept risking his life to save me, and the way time stood still after he caught me, it was so, like—"

"Kitty!" Jean grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

"Huh? I'm just getting some stuff off my chest, sorry, it's been a real rollercoaster of a day, you know? Oh, I slipped back into the likes again, didn't I? I'm really trying to stop that, but sometimes I just get going and it's, I don't know, my brains way of slowing me down maybe. I know it gets on everyone's nerves. Bobby teases me so much about, and it really bugs me but I dunno, the way it shows he's listening, staring with those blue eyes—"

She froze, her eyes getting larger then Jean ever imagined they could.

"Oh no I'm crushing on Bobby Drake!" She flopped down onto the bed, burying her head into her pillows.

Jean smiled. "Glad you finally caught on."

"He's younger than me, and a sophomore," came out through the muffle.

"By a month at most, not everyone skips grades like you do."

"He's so immature."

"He's much better now, you admitted it yourself. Besides, Lance was the shinning example of maturity?"

Kitty looked up at her, glaring at the redhead. Jean just smiled bigger.

With a groan, Kitty buried her head in her pillows again. "This is so embarrassing. Don't tell anyone."

"I won't."

"I mean it, I'll phase your brain right out of your head if you do!"

Jean laughed, "I won't tell anyone! So what are you going to do?"

"Hide until it goes away?"

"Bobby is a good guy. No reason to hide from your feelings. And he thinks you're cute."

"I'm sooo not ready for this."

"Look at me and Scott. You never know when love is going to come."

Kitty sat up again. "Love! Now we're talking about love!"

Jean just smiled. "All I'm saying is you really shouldn't hide when opportunity knocks."

There was a knock on the door. "Kitty? It's Bobby. Listen, I want to apologize for earlier. Can I come in?"

With a yelp, Kitty phased through her bed. "Tell him I'm gone, tell him I'm in the Danger Room, I'm visiting my parents, I moved to China, I was abducted by aliens, I have the flu, my head exploded, just get rid of him!" came an excited whisper from under the bed.

Rolling her eyes, Jean got up, wondering what story she should tell Bobby.

-------------

In a warehouse in New York, there was a different type of meeting taking place. Waiting for his contact, the young man sitting on a pile of old pallets reached into his long jacket and pulled out a playing card. With uncanny skill, he began to twirl it in his hand, flipping it across the backs of his fingers in different directions, the face and the red backing blurring in even his acute vision.

A creak behind him caused him to jump, the card suddenly dropping between his thumb and forefinger and igniting in a blazing orange and yellow glow. He landed in a crouched position, his black and red eyes scanning the darkness for the source of the sound.

"Relax my friend, it is only me."

The card in the young man's hand lost its glow and returned to its normal state. He deftly slipped it back into a pocket inside the jacket. "You certainly know how ta give a man a fright, homme."

"My apologies Gambit, I merely—"

"Non don't worry 'bout it. Dis whole ting makin' me a little jumpy, dat's all. Magneto finds out I'm workin' behind his back and I'll be lucky if dere's enough left o' me ta throw into da swamp."

"I too do not want Magneto to find out about this."

"Not sayin' dat you do homme."

"Have you found what we're looking for?"

"Not yet, non, but I tink I have it narrowed down to just two possibilities."

"Should we act?"

"No, we only gunna get one shot at dis homme, I need to make sure we hit da right place at da right time."

"True, there is too much at risk for mistakes."

"I got some contacts in da area, might get us a floor plan or two. We'll have a better chance wit' dat."

"Agreed. But I do not think we have much more time."

"Don't worry, mon ami. We'll be ready in a few days, and by da time we're done dey won't know what hit dem."


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

"Iceman, what are you doing!"

The teenager who called himself Iceman was transformed into what can only be described as living ice. He was sliding on a long bridge of ice he had made using powers that evolution had given him, moving across the perimeter of a large room filled with circular buzz saws, laser cannons, crushing walls, robotic enemies and countless other death traps. He was making his way to save a girl from one such trap. The girl, who not only hadn't spoken to him in two days but also could walk through walls and other objects like they were thin air, hadn't notice a new robot entering the room from behind her. He was doing this all at 6:30 in the morning before a long day of high school classes. He of course, was doing what to him was perfectly normal.

Three laser cannons homed in on him and fired at once, shattering the ice slide and sending him flying into the nearby wall with a sickening thud. He fell part of the way to the ground, hitting the lower, angled section of the wall and rolling the rest of the way, coming to rest in a heap on the floor. He groggily tried to stand, getting to his knees at best before a rocket exploded above him sending him back to the ground.

"I think that's enough for this morning," came Logan's voice over the loudspeaker. "Not bad until the snowman here wiped out. Hit the showers and get to school."

Bobby slowly pulled himself off the ground with the help of the wall. He was going to be hurting all day and most of tomorrow from a fall like that, even in his ice form. He shifted back to flesh and blood, rubbing his head as he did so. He felt a hand on his arm and opened his eyes to see Kitty in front of him, brushing her still long bangs out of her eyes. She pulled his hand away and looked at his head, then made him follow her finger with his eyes. "You seem okay, no concussion, just shook up. Stop trying to save me Icee, I'm a big girl you know. The others need your help too."

"What? I didn't, I mean..." but she had walked away.

She was replaced in his vision with Cyclops, who pushed him against the wall. "What the hell was that Drake? Your job was to wait until Kitty disabled the defenses, and then we, as in the whole team together, move in."

"Look, I saw she was in trouble and—"

"She was phased the whole time. You've got a hero complex that's dangerous to all of us. You need to stop showboating and start acting as part of the team."

"Fine, I got it," Bobby said, dodging around Scott and heading out of the Danger Room.

"Little harsh on him, aren't ya?" came Rogue's drawl from behind Scott. He turned around and saw her collecting the throwing disks she kept in a pouch on her hip.

"He messed up, he needs to fix it now rather than out there in the field."

"Ah know, an' Ah know he's going to. But ya didn't have ta lay it on him with so much Logan in ya voice."

"What?"

"Come on Scott, if ya had claws you woulda had him pinned to the wall with 'em. He's barely standing after that blast he took and now he's got you shoving him around. Ah know you have it in for him after that punch you took."

"I do not have it in for him. I just think it might have been a mistake to let him on the team after the attitude he pulled on Saturday. He might be good in a fight most of the time, but he's got a temper and no control over his maturity. He's reckless because he wants to show off to the rest of us, like that stunt he tried to use to rescue Kitty."

"Are you blind behind that visor? He wasn't doing it to impress no one. He saw her and danger and jumped in. Those two are crushing so bad on each other even Ah find it funny. And as far as you not having it in for him, ya haven't even talked to him about Saturday."

"He talked to the Professor. He's on the team. He hasn't brought it up, so neither will I. What's there to talk about?"

"Ah dunno, how about tha fact that he probably feels like he's been used and manipulated by you, which is exactly why Ah told you it was a stupid idea in the first place. And let's not forget that he knocked your lights out afterwards. He probably doesn't trust you and Ah don't blame him. It's going to hang over the team until you two patch things up."

"That's something he needs to work out—"

"It's something ya both need to work out! Gawd, how does Jean put up with you? Ya don't have to be the strong, rigid leader all the time Scott, you're just a kid for Gawd's sake. Ya can show emotion and talk to him and then maybe ya'll both swallow your Gawd damn manly pride an' say you're sorry! Ya think you're right and that's not going to change but ya owe to him to at least explain why. As your teammate and as your friend Scott, Ah'm telling you that you're have to talk to him. Now, Ah smell like Logan after it rains, so Ah'm going to try and get cleaned up for school."

She picked up the last of the throwing disks and headed towards the door, leaving Scott standing alone in the Danger Room.

-------------

Scott wasn't the only one being talked to at the time. In the girl's locker room Jean was once again inquiry about Kitty's crush.

"You were pretty cold to Bobby out there."

"He was pretty cold to me on Saturday."

"He's tried to apologize, you keep avoiding him."

"And he hasn't learned yet that he hurt me."

"So what are you going to do, just not talk to him until he leaves you until he comes professing his love to you?"

"No! I'm going to ignore him until he leaves me alone. I don't want anything to do with Bobby Drake or any silly little girl crushes I may have had on him."

"May?"

"May!"

"All right. Probably for the best anyways," Jean said, reaching into her locker for some jewelry. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he was pretty close to Jubilee before she left and they still talk all the time. I hear he's going to spend some of his winter vacation out in California with her."

"He's doing what!"

Jean just smiled to herself and shook her head slightly. "Oh yeah. I mean, I don't know if anything is going to happen for sure, we don't talk too much, but Amara was telling me all about it. Pretty brave though. I don't know if I could handle a long distance relationship like that."

"He never liked her that way, I don't think. I mean, you saw what happened this morning, he was totally trying to be a—" she stopped herself. "Wait a minute! Stop messing with my head!"

"Kitty, I would never use my powers like that and you know it! I'm hurt you would even think—"

"You don't need powers to mess with someone's head you sadistic, evil she-devil! Stop laughing!"

Jean continued to laugh, "Give it up Kitty, you've got it bad."

"I know! Stop rubbing it in." She sat down with a huff on the bench and running her fingers through her short hair. It still threw her off sometimes how short it was. At least it had grown out some, looking less like Wanda's tomboy cut then it did when she first was forced to cut it. As different as it was from her long hair before and as hard as it was getting used to it, she liked the mid-neck length it was now. Bobby liked it to, came the thought that shattered the distraction she had formed by thinking about her hair. "Ohhh, I don't know what to do. Does he really like me or is he just flirting with me for fun? Do I make the first move, do I wait? Do I even want to date anyone yet?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. And if you ever need help, just ask me and I'll do what I can."

"Thanks Jean." The girls continued there preening for a few more moments when Rogue walked in.

"Gawd Jean, your boy toy is being a real idiot about the crap he's got going on with Bobby. Ah think Ah put him in his place, but ya need to make sure those two talk. Maybe we can get back to normal around here soon."

"I hope so," the redhead answered. "I think we just need to get over this whole thing and move on. We can't have this sort of tension if what the Professor thinks is coming actually happens."

"Ah know," Rogue said, grabbing a towel and heading to the shower area. "Hey Kitty, speaking of tension," came from the shower a few minutes later, "when are ya and Bobby going to start making out already? Getting a little ridiculous, don't ya think?"

"Ew, no thank you Rogue, I'm not into Bobby at all. He's cocky and arrogant and just like Lance, and I do not want a guy like that."

"Whatever, Bobby's one of tha nicest guys in Bayville and you know it. A girl would be lucky with a catch like that."

"If you like him so much why don't you ask him out?"

"Maybe Ah would if he wasn't looking at you all tha time. And, ya know, if Ah could actually touch him without killing him."

"He's looking at me?"

The shower cut off and Rogue came out wrapped up in a towel. She was careful to avoid the other two girls with so much of her skin exposed. "Everyone knows you two are into each other but denying it. It's like Scott and Jean all over again."

"Everyone knows! Jean, I warned you, give me that brain!" Kitty yelled, lunging forward with hand outstretched.

With a flick of her TK Jean sent Kitty into the air, the younger teen's arms flailing. "All right, put me down!"

Rogue just laughed. "Oh course everyone knows. All ya'll do is stare at each other when ya think the other ain't looking. Ah personally hope you two never talk, it's almost as funny as the time he and Kurt put pink dye in Logan's shampoo."

"Whatever. Why should I be taking advice about crushes from the Queen of Hearts?"

"What did ya call me?"

"You heard me," she said, grabbing her school bag from the locker and slamming the door shut. "Hurry up or you'll be late for school, chere."

-------------

"So are you ever going to talk to Scott?"

Bobby grimaced and pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead. He had thought convincing Kurt to teleport him to school this morning was a good idea, but they hadn't even finished walking out of Forge's old lab and already the questions were beginning. All he wanted was to walk to class, and for his stomach to stop being so queasy after the rapid teleport chain Kurt had to go through to make it the distance to school.

"Maybe? I really don't want to think about it, you know?"

"Okay, zat's cool, I understand. But you know it's going totally suck to watch you two fight all zhe time. It'd be a whole lot better if you just worked it out."

"I know man, but he's not exactly the easiest guy to go up and talk to."

"Not as easy as say, Kitty?"

"I've tried to say I'm sorry for the way I blew her off Saturday but she's avoiding me. She hasn't said anything to me except what she said after I wiped out this morning."

"Ja, maybe if you just told her how you vere madly in love vit her she'd talk to you again."

Bobby stopped dead in his tracks. "What? I am not madly in love with Kitty Pryde. I mean, yeah, she's really cute and funny and smart, but I'm not madly in love with her."

"Please mein freund, you have it worse for her then Jamie does."

"Dude, I do not."

"Remember the Danger Room on Saturday? 'Kitty, I've got you!'" he pantomimed, "'Swoon, catch me Bobby!' 'Nevermind the Sentinels, I must stare into your eyes forever!' 'You're cold to the touch!' 'But I burn for you Kitty!' 'I'll never let go Bobby! I'll never let go!'"

Bobby just glared at him until he finished. "You hear that furball, that's the sound of your lunch freezing!"

"Aw man, zhat is totally not cool!" Kurt said, quickly pulling off his backpack and looking inside. "All I mean is zhat you and Kitty seem like a perfect match zhese days, vhat vit how you keep flirting. You said it yourself zhat Kitty is an amazing girl. Any guy would be lucky to go out vit her."

"Oh really Kurt," came a voice from behind him. Bobby just grinned at his friend and mouthed "Busted!"

"If Miss Kitty Pryde is so perfect then why are you settling for me?"

"Amanda, I didn't mean, I mean, I vas,"

"Relax Kurt!" she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Hi Bobby. Hopelessly in love with Kitty now?"

"I admit to crushing, why am I suddenly in love with her?"

"We're just teasing you Bobby. If you want some female advice, which you probably desperately need if you're relying on Kurt for relationship advice-"

"Hey, I am not zhat bad!"

"I've had to make the first move honey," she kissed him quickly. "Not that I mind."

"Yeah, vell, you vere terrified."

"Anyways Bobby, just tell her and ask her out. Kurt says she probably likes you so what do you have to lose? Ask her to the dance next week, then you don't have to think of something to do."

"Yeah, maybe. If I can get her to talk to me again."

"I'm sure it vill vork out dude, she's not the type to hold a grudge, ja?"

"Yeah, that's true. Thanks Amanda, maybe I should just go for it. Women. Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

-------------

"This certainly does complicate matters Logan. I had hoped that Scott and Bobby would have at least spoken with one another. Scott especially I had trusted to try and fix this situation. As team leader he must realize it affects the dynamics of the whole team."

"It's too personally for him Charles. I think we both forget that he's only 19. He doesn't always think straight."

"Very true. I suppose we all lose a little bit of our judgment when our pride is injured. Perhaps I will have to take matters into my own hands."

"Sittin' those two down and forcing them to talk probably won't fix anything. You'll get fake answers and we'll be back to where we are."

"I was thinking of something a little more subtle then that old friend. I've just been contacted by Alex's step parents. They feel that the public's response in light of Apocalypse puts their son in danger, and even with the school being a target he will be safer here."

"'Bout time they realized that. You want me to go pick him up?"

"No, I'm sending Ororo with Scott and Bobby. The long flight in the confined space of the Blackbird will hopefully force them to talk out their differences, and Ororo will be there to mediate if necessary."

"Good thinking. She'd handle in much better then I could. But with Alex joining, along with Mirage being here, and Rahne coming back, we're lookin' like we need more teachers again."

"I agree, and I have someone in mind. But that will have to wait for another day. There is another reason you are not going to Hawaii. I need you to go to Canada."

"Something tells me I'm not gunna like this."

-------------

"Homme, it Gambit. I found our package, an' it's wrapped up nice an' tight fo' us. Non, we don't go now, best wait a few mo' days. Don't you worry now, I got it all under control. You just make sure our ride is ready."

-------------

He looked down upon the valley and smiled. History would show this land to be the cradle of the new civilization, he thought. It is from here that a new mankind, birthed from those mutants who would soon come to call this island home, would spread across the Earth and usher in a new golden age. Pulled from the depths of the ocean by his power, he had crafted this it to be a paradise. With the help of the few mutants he had already found, they had created this land to be a haven for all.

He turned to one of those mutants, a young girl of 16 who he had rescued from an angry mob attacking her when they found source of the food she was feeding her fellow homeless with. "You have helped create a truly beautiful place Caroline. You should be proud of yourself and the work you have done."

"Thank you sir."

"There is no need for formality here. I am a member of our Brotherhood just as you are. You are welcomed to call me by my name, Magneto. Have you decided upon the name you will take?"

"Yes," the young girl said, her hand outstretched over a piece of bare ground below her. Grass began to sprout, followed by a large rose bush. "Ceres."

"A very appropriate name given your abilities. I want to thank you again for helping us to populate this island with life. It will help sustain our people in the coming months."

"Thank you for rescuing me and giving me a home. Will this island truly be safe for our kind?"

"As safe as I can make it."

A burst of wind and a blur blew past them, and they were no longer alone. "Dad, Sage says she's got the generator fully up and running again. She wants to know if you want Mastermind to give it another try."

"No Pietro, we've seen that his mind is not tailored for that form of telepathy. I know of another that we must seek out. Then, if we continue to have power, I believe it will be time that the Brotherhood begins seeking new recruits to bring to Avalon."

* * *

**A/N: Ceres is an OC. I generally dislike the use of OCs, especially in stories based on works like X-Men Evolution where there is such a plethora of unused characters to introduce. As you will see later, I have no problem reinventing those pre-existing characters into ones very different from their Earth-616 counterparts, but introducing OCs is not my style. However, after an half hour searching various sources on the Internet and the comics I have myself, I could find no character that had the plant powers Magneto would need to quickly create flora on a rock pulled from the ocean depths, and so Caroline Ross, mutant name Ceres was born. That being said, you'll probably never see her again.**


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Bobby spent most of that day at school ignoring his teachers and trying to think of a way to ask Kitty to the dance. He decided early on that simply going up and asking her was not an option. He wanted to do it big, extravagant, and romantic, in some way that would blow her away and leave her with no option but to say yes. He already felt like she would say yes to him under normal circumstances, but most of his ideas fell apart as soon as he remembered she wasn't talking to him. He thought a lot more on that, realizing he probably came off a lot like Lance when he pushed her away. She was only trying to help and he acted like a jerk. What he didn't understand was why she wasn't even giving him a chance to apologize. Kurt had been right when he said Kitty didn't hold grudges, and she always relished someone trying to make up for past mistakes. Usually it would take someone playing taste tester for whatever food she got in her head to cook, and a few days later when their stomach was back to normal so would everything else. Her behavior now, the way she was avoiding him and giving him the cold shoulder when she couldn't, completely ignoring all attempts to apologize, made Bobby believe that she the only way she would be that hurt was if she really did like him; it was the only reason he could come up with as to why she would be taking it so badly this long.

He was in his last class for the day, sketching out plans in his head for a song and dance number to perform at lunch the next day when the teacher jarred him back to reality by dropping a note on the his desk. "You're wanted in the office Bobby." The note, a carbon paper copy of an attendance office slip said that he was leaving early. Not knowing why or who would pull him out of school, he gathered his things and headed to the front of the school. He walked into the Administration office and there, standing in front of the counter arguing with Principal Kelly was Scott.

"You are not authorized to take him out of school, plain and simple. You are a minor—"

"I'm nineteen, and in college."

"All the more evidence that you are not his parent or legal guardian. I understand that Xavier has special permission from all the parents of the..." Kelly had to pause for a moment to stop himself from saying something out of hand, "children at that Institute of his, but that permission does not extend to you Mr. Summers."

"The Professor called this morning and cleared it with your assistant that I could take Bobby out in his place. With his disability it's easier this way."

"Disability? We both know he hardly has a disability with his--"

"Whatever he can do, he still is a man who has to live his life in a wheelchair, and I'm sure there are plenty of people who could cause you a lot of problems if word got out that you were making life even more difficult for the handicapped."

Kelly stood to his full height, which still came up short against Scott's tall frame. "This is just one of many reasons I was glad to be rid of you Summers. You, like all your kind, have no respect for authority. You think that you're above the law, above the rules, above everyone. You think you're superior, free to do whatever you want because nature gave an unfair advantage over the rest of us. But you're just a pack of lawless freaks that will be stopped."

"Unfair advantage? You think I have an unfair advantage? I have to wear these glasses because I can't turn off my so-called advantage. I have to walk through a world that's forever red because nature decided I should be different. Do you have any idea what it's like to always be afraid that these things might fall off, or the lenses will suddenly stop working or break, and that I might accidentally hurt someone? Do you know what it's like to not be able to look my girlfriend straight in the eyes and tell her I love her because I might kill her?

"You think that we're all the same, that we're all like Magneto or Apocalypse or Lance Alvers, but most of us, especially those of us Xavier has taken in, just want to live a normal life. We want to go to college and get a job and grow old in suburbia with our families. But we can't because people like you are always in the way. And when we try to make a difference with our powers, when we try to save lives and stop those who would abuse their powers, all we get is people like you who call us monsters and freaks and menaces. We fight to protect a world that hates and fears us, when all we want is to live in peace. But we'll never have that because people like you will always be there telling us we're different, we're wrong, that we need to be locked up and kept away from everyone, that being a mutant should be illegal. Or worse, we should be exterminated.

"So remember Kelly, every time you start giving someone problems just because they're a mutant, anytime you push anyone mutant or human that doesn't deserve it, you're helping to make another Alvers or another Magneto. I don't think that's what you got into teaching to do. Come on Drake, we need to go."

Scott walked past him, and Bobby took in the sight of his dumbfounded Principal for a moment before following Scott out the door. He too was slightly stunned, and just stared at the older X-Man.

"What is it Drake?" he asked at last.

"That was just, so damn awesome!"

Scott glanced over at him for a moment, then grinned. "Been wanting to tell that guy off for a long time now."

"So where are we going anyways?"

"Professor decided you get a free flight to Hawaii."

"Sweet."

-------------

Despite their bonding over the way Scott stood up to Kelly, the first hour of their flight to Hawaii was a mostly silent affair. Ororo initiated conversation with each of them, but could not get them to talk much to each other. Deciding that the Professor might be right and that they would have to rebuild what was lost themselves, she put the plane on autopilot and pulled out her book. They had another two hours until the Blackbird would land, and hopefully the silence would crack the ice.

It took another twenty minutes before one of them made the first move.

"Listen, Bobby," Scott said.

"Yeah?"

"We should probably talk about Saturday. Probably why the Professor had you come with me to get Alex."

"Yeah, probably."

"I know you're still angry about it all. I know you feel betrayed or manipulated by your friends."

"A little."

"Maybe we didn't handle it the best way. But I'm not going to lie to you and say I wouldn't do it all over again. You've proven yourself before, sure, and I'm happy to have you on the team full time. There were times I was just like you, wondering when the Professor was going to put you on the team. But it was my idea to test you, and the Professor agreed, with everything he's seen coming. We need to make sure the team is strong enough to handle it all."

"Scott dude, he told me all about it. I understand. You don't need to explain. Sorry I over reacted without hearing you all out and sorry about decking you like that."

"Yeah, don't do that again."

"Don't be such a jerk about everything," Bobby said with a grin.

There was pause in the conversation, neither one knowing where to go from there. "Kinda scary," Scott said at last, "I thought Apocalypse would be the worst thing we'd ever face and the Professor says it's just the beginning."

"Yeah, we'll get through it. Or we'll do our best at least."

"Which is why you need to start following orders better."

"Thought you turned human for a second, back to leader robot now I guess."

"I mean it Bobby, you could have gotten you and Kitty killed if it was the real thing with that stunt you pulled this morning."

"I know, I know, dumb move on my part. That's why we train right, to learn?"

"That's why we do it. Look, I don't want you to think I'm coming down on only you. I'm just trying to make sure we're at the top of our game. I'm still glad you're on the team and you have huge potential to be even better. Just watch out for yourself and your teammates from now on, okay?"

"I will. Thanks Scott."

"You're welcome. We cool now?"

"I think so."

They sat in silence for some more time, until Bobby spoke up. "How did you ask Jean out?"

Scott just laughed. "I was kidnapped by Mystique and she came and rescued me."

"Already thought of that one, I don't think it would work out."

"Yeah, I'm probably not the best guy to go to for relationship advice. Took me what, four years to tell her how I felt?"

"You and Kurt both suck. I'd have better luck asking Jamie for help; at least he has an excuse. He has no idea how to ask a girl out."

-------------

At that very moment in Bayville, irony reared its head and struck.

"Rahne? I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to the dance with me next week."

"Sure Jamie, Aye'd love ta go with ya!"

-------------

Ororo landed the Blackbird at a small airfield outside the town Alex lived in with his foster parents. They went back into the cargo hold and piled into the jeep stored there, and headed off meet Alex. The young surfer was waiting for them with his foster parents on the porch of their home.

"Scott bro, what's happening?"

"Hey Alex," he said, hugging his brother, "good to see you!"

"Man, I totally can't believe I'm coming to live with you guys! Just before winter too, I'm totally going to freeze to death. Hey, speaking of freezing, the Iceman himself!" he and Bobby exchanged a manly high five/fist tap with each other. They had caused some chaos together with Kurt when Alex had stayed for an overdue visit with Scott after Apocalypse. "How's it going dude? Scott told me you made X-Man, not bad!"

"Yeah, I'm stuck taking orders from your brother now."

"Sucks man, he can be a total drag!"

Alex introduced Ororo and Bobby to his parents. Ororo stayed behind to assure them of Alex's safety at the mansion while the boys got Alex's bags from his room and brought them to the jeep. They were heading back for a final goodbye when Ororo's phone rang.

"Hello Charles... yes, we were just about to leave... what, here?... Of course, we'll head over there right away." She hung up the phone. "Cerebro has picked up multiple signals from the Brotherhood boys just a few blocks from here."

"The Brotherhood? What are they doing here?"

"That's what we are going to find out. Alex, I want you to stay here and—"

"No way Ms Munroe, I'm joining the Institute, I want to help out."

"Alex dear," his mother started.

"Mom, I'll be safest with them then back here waiting alone. It'll be fine, these guys are total pushovers."

The X-Men and Alex ran to the jeep and headed off. Their first sign they were getting close was the rumbling they felt through the jeep. "Avalanche," Scott said through gritted teeth as he switched his glasses with his visor and strapped the hand control to the inside of his palm.

The site they found as they rounded one last corner was not the one they expected to see. In the middle of a small park between buildings was a large metal sphere, a larger version of the one Magneto usually transported his followers in. It was dug into the ground as if it had crashed there rather then landing gently as Magneto usually commanded them to. Around the pod were members of the Brotherhood. Blob stood out in front, his large girth acting as a shield for Avalanche, who stood slightly behind Blob and was sending out small shock waves. Toad was crouched on the side of the sphere, peaking his head out over Blob's.

Surrounding them all was a large, angry mob of people. Many of them carried some form of weapon, everything from bats to shotguns. The Brotherhood and the mob were in a sort of holding pattern a safe distance from each other, but the X-Men could already see tensions were high. Someone threw a rock and it bounced off of Blob and landed in a pile at his feet of other things that had been thrown. "Heh heh," he chuckled, "you think that's going to stop the Blob?"

"Get out of here you mutie freak!"

"We don't want your kind here!"

"We don't wanna be here neither," Toad shouted. "We just wanna find the guy we're looking for."

"Other mutants are here!" one of the crowd called out. "We have muties in our town!"

"Last warning!" Avalanche yelled. "Or we're going to flatten you!"

"See how you flatten this!" came from the crowd and a there was the crack of a rifle. The bullet hit the sphere near Toad's head and ricocheted off. He screeched and leapt away from the sphere, hiding behind Blob.

"Yo Blob," he laughed as he calmed down, "you have a bullet in your butt."

"That's it, we warned you!" Lance's eyes rolled back into his head and with a stomp the ground began to quake. Most of the crowd fell to their knees as the ground rolled underneath them, but some managed to keep some semblance of balance and tried to push their way towards the mutants. Around them, windows rattled and shattered, cracks formed on the pavement of the streets, and lamppost began to sway dangerously.

One of the humans still standing threw a rock, hitting Lance in the face shield he wore and knocking him back into the metal sphere. The quake stopped, and people began to get up. Instead of the ground, angry cries to kill the muties rumbled.

"We've got to get them out of here before we have a blood bath!" Scott yelled to his team.

"Why not just take 'em down? We've got enough power between the four of us," Alex suggested.

"The crowd's likely to turn on us, even if we help them," Bobby said.

"He's right. Storm, can you give us some cover?" Scott asked.

"Of course," she said, her eyes clouding over as she rose into the air. Even in civilian clothing without the silvery cape she wore, she looked the part of the weather goddess. Wind swirled her hair as the distant sound of thunder roared out, distracting some of the crowd. A thick fog began to roll in to the square, and the cries for blood turned into cries of confusion as people began stumbling blindly in the white sheet. A breeze blew in from behind the X-Men, moving some of the fog and revealing a clear path to the stranded Brotherhood members.

The X-Men ran down this path, meeting up with the Brotherhood members half way.

"X-geeks?" Blob bellowed. "We don't need to be rescued by them! We can take this puny humans."

"Man, forget that, if that bullet hit me and I'd be a dead froggy," Toad said. "I'll take any out I can get."

"Besides, our orders are not to fight the humans," Lance added, "or you dorks, if we can help it."

"Save it Alvers, let's just get out of here before they find their way out of the fog," Cyclops replied.

They couldn't all fit into the Jeep, so Storm stayed airborne, pulling Bobby and Alex up with the help of some strong winds, while Scott drove the Brotherhood a safe distance away. They had made it to the other side of town and were in a small, secluded cove before they started to speak again. Storm took the car to get the Blackbird while the younger mutants spoke.

"Spill it Avalanche, what are you doing here fighting a crowd of humans."

"We weren't here to pick a fight four eyes, we're here to recruit him," Lance said, pointing at Alex.

"Me? Are you guys crazy? Why would I go join up with you three losers?"

"Brotherhood isn't just us anymore," Lance said. "Magneto's made us a paradise. Not just us, but all mutants. He's making all mutants into a Brotherhood."

"Yeah man," Toad piped up. "It's like the garden of Eden type paradise. No people trying to shoot you cause you're a stud like me, just mutants living in peace."

"Like Asteroid M was a safe, peaceful place for mutants?"

"Magneto changed his ideas after Apocalypse. He saw how survival of the fittest might not be best, and decided to just help mutants survive. No tests to get in, no pledging your loyalty to Magneto, you just have to be a mutant. And as much as I hate saying this, he told me to invite you guys if we ran into any of you."

"Magneto wants us to come live what, on his floating piece of metal?" Bobby asked.

"It's an island he made," Lance answered. "You don't need to decide, just keep an open mind about it. I might not be best friends you guys, but after all Apocalypse craziness I'd rather be sitting around not worrying about a mob killing me then fighting you guys and them."

"Speaking of mobs, what did you do to start that?" Cyclops asked.

"Nothing, they just attacked us. People are always attacking us," Blob said, genuinely dejected.

"Magneto messed up our landing or something," Lance said. "We crashed in that square and then the crowd came out. A few of them recognized us from TV and that's when they decided they wanted us dead for being mutants. It's not safe for us anymore, you have to see that. Avalon is the way to go, the way to survive."

Just then the Blackbird came over the ridge of the cove, as did the metal sphere. Both landed on the ground with doors open.

"Think about it Alex. We've got to stick together, and the X-Men are going to get you killed. Magneto will be in touch," called out Lance as he entered the sphere behind Blob and Toad. "Thank Storm for the cover for us." The sphere closed and launched into the air.

The X-Men climbed the ramp of the Blackbird. "You think they're for real?" Bobby asked.

"Doubt it Ice-dude," Alex said. "One thing I learned during my time as a mutant, don't trust Magneto."


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

Kitty woke with a panicked start. Wildly looking around the room, she found that she was lying on the floor of a room she didn't recognize. It was rundown, wallpaper peeling off the wall, boards loose in the floor, and wood covering much of the window. She quickly got up from the ground and ran to the door. She stuck her head through the wood, looking left and right before plunging through the door and making her way down the long hallway in front of her. She kept running, looking for some way out, but the hallway kept going and going. There seemed to be a thick mist that covered the ground, and she could smell something burning.

Suddenly the mist sprung off the ground in front of her and formed a shape. Lance stepped out of the mist, holding his hand out to her. "Join us Kitty, Xavier is a fool, and Magneto is going to be the one who keeps us alive."

"No no no no," she muttered to herself. "This is not happening again, this is not real!"

"Kitty, I'm real, I'm right here. We can be together forever if you just give up on this X-Men crap. They're going to get us all killed if they keep trying to work for peace. Humans aren't going to accept us. Magneto can make sure we're the ones with the power when it's all said and done."

"Oy took carah tha compition for ya mite, little buggah won't be standing in ya way," came a call from behind her. Pyro had stepped through the smoke, and in his hands he held the limp, burned form of Bobby Drake.

"Bobby! Oh God, don't be dead!"

"'Fraid he might be, oh well!"

"Kitty, there's no point to this. Just give up!"

"This isn't real, Bobby wasn't here yet, this isn't real," she kept chanting to herself.

"Oi Avalanche, tha Sheila's nevah gunna listen to ya, she's too goody two shoes!" Pryo taunted. "Oy say we fry her up!"

"Pryo no!" Lance yelled, but he was fading back into the mist. Fire erupted from the nozzles on Pyro's arms, forming twin snakes that twisted their way to her. Kitty ran forward in fear, the flames licking at her heels as she continued her run down the never-ending hallway.

Around her the walls of the long hallway burst into flames. She tried to phase through the flaming floor, but her feet stayed firmly on top of the wood. She felt the flame snakes from Pyro crawl up her back and bite into shoulders, the burning memory coming to life once again. She could feel the back of her uniform catch, protecting her skin underneath a little but the flames were quickly burning through. The fire continued to crawl up her back, catching her large collar and then igniting her long hair. She screamed and dropped to the ground, attempting to roll the flames out. But this time the floor was burning as well, and she couldn't stop the flames.

An end to the hallway materialized out of the fog, and a red beam burst through a door that was appearing. Beams of ice followed, and just like before Scott and Bobby were there to save her. She called out to them, reaching her hand forward. But instead of blasting Pryo, Scott stood there; instead of rushing forward to help her up and cradle her in his arms, Bobby walked forward slowly and looked down at her before turning his back.

"Bobby no! Don't leave me! Stop hurting me!" Her words turned into screams as the fire around her grew once again, consuming her, while somewhere Pyro laughed manically.

Kitty woke with a panicked start. Wildly looking around the room, she saw that Dani was waking with the same panic. Kitty knew she was fine, but checked for flames anyways. All she found was the same slight scarring on back, and of course the cropped haircut she'd gotten after most of her hair had burned. She calmed down some.

On the other side of the room, Dani had burst into uncontrollable tears. "Oh God, oh God, I'm so sorry Kitty, oh God," she kept sobbing over and over with her face buried in her hands.

Kitty ran to her friend, sitting on the bed and wrapping her arms around her. "It's okay Dani, it's just a dream. I'm okay. It's not your fault."

"I can't control it, I can never control it, I'll leave, I swear, I won't make you live through that again!"

"You're not going to go anywhere," Kitty said softly as she rocked Dani back and forth. "You're here to gain control, right? Why would you leave? You're doing better at it. I can live with a few nightmares now and then if it means you stay and get the help you need."

Dani stopped crying some, wiping tears from her face. "I know you dream about it still, I can sometimes see your dreams. I knew I was losing control but I couldn't stop and I just made the nightmare worse. I'm a curse!"

"You're not a curse. We all have times where we can't control our powers. I woke up in the basement last week, remember?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Kurt still teleports randomly when he gets sick, Rogue can't touch anyone yet, Jean still hears other people's thought when she's trying not to, even the Professor has times where he's overwhelmed! No one is going to get upset at you because you're still learning. And as long as they're accidents we'll be okay."

"Of course it was an accident Kitty, I would never—"

"I know you would never hurt me Dani. Or anyone else for that matter. We're best friends, I think I know you."

Dani smiled, and hugged her friend back. "Thank you Kitty."

"What are friends for?"

After a moment Dani noticed something. "You're shaking!"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Wow. Guess I'm a little more shook up then I thought."

"I'm sorry. I know you're still scared of fire, and there was so much because of me."

"Actually, I don't think that was it."

"What else would it have been?"

Kitty looked embarrassed for a moment.

"Let me guess, Bobby?"

Kitty just nodded.

"Jung said 'The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul.' So what do you think soul is telling you?"

"Jung? When did you start reading psychology?"

"After I got here. My powers are dreams, figured I'd do some research. Plus I kinda want to be a psychologist."

Kitty laughed a bit and laid down on Dani's bed. "Well Dr. Moonstar, what do you think, am I nuts?"

Dani laughed with her. "I think you've got a very serious case of crushitus, but you're too scared of Bobby hurting you or being like Lance to do anything about it."

"Ugh, Lance, even out of my life he's giving me a headache. What's your prescription doc?"

"Well, I say, you just have to realize that Bobby isn't Lance, and that you should give him a shot. You should at least start talking to him again. Hiding behind you being 'mad' at him because of Saturday is just stupid."

"So I should just ask him out?"

"Are you kidding! You should flirt mercilessly with him until his head explodes or he makes the first move! You can't just make things easy for him, against the Girl Code."

Kitty laughed some more. "Finally some good advice. Jean and Rogue have been driving me nuts with their teasing and then 'you'll figure it out' talk."

"Well, they don't know you like I do."

"Yeah, weird psychic bonds and such."

"Exactly!"

Kitty gave out a yawn, which prompted Dani to yawn. They both laughed some more. "Guess we should try and get some sleep," Kitty said, "we still have a few more hours until morning."

They climbed into their beds and closed their eyes.

"Kitty?" Dani asked after a little while.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you again. I don't know if I'd make it here without you."

"What are friends for?" Kitty asked, drifting off to sleep as she did. She had a pleasant dream, one of castles and dragons and knights in frozen armor.

-------------

Logan took a moment on his trek to smell the dawn. There were plenty of times he found his enhanced senses to be a burden, especially living in a mansion full of hormonal teenagers. Despite being a loner by nature he did enjoy company from time to time, but he found himself leaving the mansion more often then he normally would, just to avoid the smells. There were plenty of times he found his enhanced senses to be useful, like on this trip. His ability to track and to sense those things around him others might not had kept him alive just as much as his healing factor. There were, however, few times he found his enhanced senses to be a joy.

To many, dawn was a refreshing moment. The beauty of a sunrise combined with the calmness of the morning left one with a sense of peace. To Logan, it was exhilarating, the smells and sounds of life reemerging from slumber, the excitement of the air as the sun heated the molecules into motion again. Around him, flowers began to open, the plants began to soak in the sun, birds began to sing, and all seemed right in the world. It was more prominent out here in the wilderness, as he stood along the ridgeline of a valley, but even at the mansion he tried his best to be outside, usually in the woods or at the gazebo, when the sun first peaked over the horizon.

He took a few more moments to enjoy the day before her scent drifted into his nose again. He was close to her now; she was just around the bend if he was correct. Picking up his pack, he began to again walk the direction his nose led him. Walking carefully around a large outcropping of boulders, he saw a cave opening next to the narrow path, and her scent was strong all in this area. He could see the marks in the rocks where her claws had been used for climbing, and the breeze that flowed into the cave and back out carried her fresh scent. If he wasn't mistaken, she was asleep.

Knowing that simply walking into the cave would be deadly, even to him, he pulled off his pack and sat down outside the entrance. He opened one of the many pockets in the backpack and pulled out a small stove and some carefully wrapped food and began to cook some breakfast. The smell of cooking food and his scent would alert her to his presence if she couldn't see him when she woke, and hopefully would keep her from lashing out in surprise. It wasn't too long before he heard stirring in the cave, followed by the quick shuffle of someone scurrying and the sound of blades being unsheathed.

"Relax kid," he called out, "it's just me. Why don't you put those things away and come out here for some breakfast."

Logan could make out a figure cautiously making its way to the cave entrance, and then she stepped out fully into the morning sun. She was still wearing the same combat suit from when he first met her, though he could see some tears here and there. Other than that, she was clean and healthy looking, despite living in the wilderness for the last year.

X-23, seeing and smelling that he was indeed Logan, retracted her claws and stepped closer. "What are you doing here?" she asked curtly.

"Cooking us some breakfast, what does it look like? Bet you could use a good meal."

"I do all right," she said, though she sat down across from him and watched as he mixed a variety of preserved meats and spices together, adding beans last. He pulled some bread out of the pack and toasted some of the slices on the edge of the small pan. When it had all mixed together into an unrecognizable brown mass, he scooped it out onto the toast and handed her one.

"Shit on a Shingle, used to live on this stuff back in the War. Eat up, tastes better then it looks."

"What war?" she asked, taking a bite and finding it good. She began to eat with a much more vigor.

"World War II, only war I know for sure I was in, though I pretty sure those bastards who brainwashed me sent me into a few others."

She nodded and continued to eat. When the food was gone he took some water and a small bottle of soap out of his bag and set the pan to soak. They sat in silence for a while, looking down over the valley below from their high perch.

"You sure know how to pick a view kid."

"I like it. I find it," she struggled to find the word, "peaceful?"

"Yeah, peaceful's a good word for it."

"I missed you," she said, almost reluctant to reveal such a personal thought.

He was stunned for a second, then gave her a small smile. "Missed you too kid. I worry about you, out here by yourself. Spent some time here when I broke free of Weapon X, it's not easy."

"I do all right. Why did you come now?"

"Wanted to come sooner. Hell, wanted to get you to come back with me after that Hydra mess. Charles thought it best if we kept our distance, to better hide you from people like Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D." She nodded, and he continued. "But he felt, after everything that's happened, it was time we checked in on you. Your conditioning and mutation makes it hard to track you with Cerebro, same as me, so I'm here in person."

"What happened?"

"Bad guy, Apocalypse, tried to take over the world. Lots of people are upset about that, looking to blame all mutants. And a place like this has enough crazy yokels coming through it for us to get a little worried someone might get the idea that mutants were hiding in a place this remote."

"I could handle them."

"Know you could, darlin', but if a few hunters here and there go missing, it brings it a lot more people lookin' for them, and even you couldn't handle them all. So I'm here offering you an invitation to come join the Institute."

"That's not a good idea."

"Hydra's pretty much dead, what's left is no match for the X-Men, and I can handle Fury when he comes knocking on our door for you."

"I like it here."

"Kid, you can't live your whole life alone, and if you're like me, it'll be a long life. Sooner or later you're going to have to be around people, and the Institute is the best place you're going to find to help you adjust to the world."

"I like it here."

"Kid, you're as stubborn as the Runt!" came a roar from above them.

"Sabertooth!" Wolverine growled, popping his claws out. X-23 followed his lead. They both looked up to see Sabertooth clinging to the side of the cliff above them, just downwind of both of them.

With a leap, Sabertooth landed on the path on the other side of the cave opening. He stood from his crouched position and laughed. "Knew you'd lead me right to her Logan. Relax Runt, this ain't between you and me today. I've got some things to say to the little lady."

Logan snarled and stepped in front of her. "Any part of you that tries to touch her, I cut off bub!"

"Like I said Wolverine, I'm not here for a fight, I've got some things to talk to her about. I've got a message from Magneto for you, girl. He says if you're tired of being tortured by humans and want to live your life, there's a place for you on Avalon."

"Yeah, as Magneto's little assassin, right? Don't listen to him kid, he and Magneto are both crazy."

"Maybe we're crazy Logan, but crazy is leaving a bunch of kids to get killed by mobs of humans and their machines. It's coming Logan and you know it. Magneto's going to save mutant lives while Xavier's going to let himself get crushed trying to be a pacifist crybaby. That what you want to happen to you kid? Killed 'cause you're a mutant? Someday we'll be in charge, but you might not make it that long alone or with Xavier; you need to think about your future."

"I don't care about mutants and humans; I just want to be left alone."

"You really think you'll be left alone here? Someone will find you, either put a bullet in your head or make you a mindless machine again, send you out to kill people. At least this way you can kill who you want, like all the people who would use you 'cause they're too weak to do their own dirty work."

"Like Magneto kid," Logan said. "He'll have you doing the same thing, 'cept he'll make it your choice. All he wants is to rule the world, and he'll use anyone and everyone to get there."

"Tell Magneto if he comes near me he's dead!" she said, waving her claws to emphases her point. "I'm not going to be anyone's weapon anymore!"

Sabertooth just laughed at her outburst. "Let me tell you Baby Runt, metal claws aren't going to do any good against Magneto. Offer still stands, if you ever find a couple of Sentinels knocking on your cave."

A metal sphere rose from the valley below, and opened right next to Sabertooth. He climbed in and pointed at Logan. "Kill you later Runt."

"Me and my friends will be waiting Creed," Logan said, brandishing his claws.

With one last roaring laugh, Sabertooth sat down and the sphere closed. It hovered a moment then soared off into the sky.

Logan sheathed his claws and turned to look at X-23. She stood firm, staring into the sky where the sphere had disappeared from sight.

"You made the right choice kid," he said.

"Are you going to fight him? Are you and the X-Men going to stop Magneto?"

"Always do."

"Then I'm coming with you. I'm tired of people using me. And he'll keep trying to."

"I don't want you joinin' up for that reason kid. I want you to come to help be a normal person, not another fighter."

"Sabertooth said to think of my future, and I am," she said, walking back into the cave to get the rest of her things.

Logan smiled a bit as he was filled with pride for his young clone.

-------------

That afternoon in the War Room, the X-Men sat with the Professor, Beast and Storm as they discussed recent developments.

"I just received a message from Logan," Xavier said, coming back into the room after having briefly left. "He and X-23 have reached the Velocity and are on their way back from Canada."

"Professor, not to get off topic, but is it a good idea to bring X-23 here? Not only is she a danger to us herself, but there are plenty of people looking for her that could come here."

"And we will deal with them accordingly Scott. She deserves as chance at a normal life more than anyone, and we are just the ones to help her achieve that. Now, the other thing of note is that after he had found X-23 they were assaulted by Sabertooth."

"Sabertooth, are they all right?" Jean asked.

"Yes, they're fine. Sabertooth did not attack, but rather delivered a message from Magneto, an invitation for X-23 to go to Avalon."

"Like the Brotherhood were trying to give to Alex," Bobby said.

"Yes, it would seem Magneto has begun quite the recruitment drive," Xavier said.

"Professor," said Scott, "do you think he really could be trying to create a paradise for mutants? Expanding the Brotherhood from a group of thugs to a mutant community?"

Xavier placed his fingertips together and leaned forward on the table, resting his lips on the side of his hands. "Many years ago, when Erik and I were still working together, we often discussed the possibility of creating an isolated haven for mutants to come to. I eventually came to believe that mutants would have to have more contact with humans to ensure the peace that we seek, but Erik was always adamantly against isolationism. He felt that mutants should never hide because of who they are. It leaves me very puzzled as to what he is attempting now, and that worries me. Thus far my Cerebro scans have found nothing, and the many contacts I have provided me with no information beyond what you found out in Hawaii."

"So vhat do ve do?" Kurt asked.

"For now, I'm afraid we must wait. Until we can gather more information we are forced to let Magneto play his hand as he sees fit."

The meeting was dismissed not long after that. Bobby was walking down the lower level's hallway, talking with Scott about the Brotherhood when he tripped. Catching himself before he fell to the floor, he looked back to see Kitty smiling at him with her foot out. "We need to talk Icee."

"Uh, catch you guys later," he said to the others.

"Ja dude," Kurt said with a wink, and he and Scott continued down the hall.

"Kitty, glad you tripped me, well, okay, maybe not the tripped part, but I'm glad you're talking to me again."

"Yeah, me too."

"I've been trying to tell you for the last few days how sorry I am for the way I acted Saturday. You were just trying to help. I was angry and should have been thinking better."

"I understand, but it hurt, you know? It reminded me too much of the way Lance used to treat me."

He winced at that. "God, I'm so sorry Kitty."

"It's all right, I forgive you for it. I know you aren't normally like that or that angry, like he is."

"I'm not, I'm chill, you know me. I swear I'll never be like that to you again."

"Good. And just so we're clear," she pushed herself off the wall and stood very close to him, looking up into his eyes. "If you ever treat me like that again, I'll phase of parts of your body you'd really miss."

"Yes ma'am."

Her face remained stoic, but in her head she was grinning at his discomfort. She did decide to give a little smile and relax things again. It was time to move on to more entertaining ideas she had. "Relax Bobby, just don't be a jerk and you'll be fine. But listen, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Sure, what's up?"

"I was wondering, um," she let herself look nervous, "if you weren't busy, and didn't mind spending some time with me..."

"Yeah?" He kept his face inviting, but inside he was practically cheering at the prospect of not having to make the first move.

"I could use a partner," she said.

"A partner? For what?" He had won, the crowds went wild.

"Tomorrow, I need a sparring partner tomorrow. You're still taking private lessons from Logan right? I have one right after you, so if you can stay late we can spar. Blocking punches from a guy with metal bones is leaving too many bruises on my arms for my taste."

The crowd in his head celebrating his victory and sat in the stunned silence that came from suddenly having the win pulled away at the last second. "Uhhhh, yeah," he said at last. "I can spar."

"Good, see you tomorrow, I've got tons of homework to do." She left him standing there dumbfounded and walked down the corridor with a huge grin. She was sure to add a little extra shake in her hips, just for him.

She rounded the corner and found Jean, Dani and Rogue waiting for her.

"That was bad," Jean said simply.

"But so much fun!" Kitty answered with an even bigger grin.

-------------

Lance walked past the leaving Sabertooth on his way into Magneto's chambers. The large man gave him a growl and a shove on the shoulder. Lance thought about doing something, but knew he didn't stand a chance against a guy who went toe to toe with Wolverine for fun.

Magneto's office was almost completely metal, from furniture to metal sculptures made by the Master of Magnetism himself. The room's owner stood at the window that overlooked much of the city of Avalon. He was wearing a simple black jumpsuit without the read armor he usually donned. "You wanted to speak with me Avalanche?"

"Yeah, I want to know more about what it is you're planning. You send me out with the others to go recruit Havok, and then send Sabertooth to find X-23. We all came back empty handed. Why are we trying to recruit people Xavier already has ties to? There are plenty of mutants out there who need our help who don't have the Professor watching over them. Why aren't we getting them on our side? And why was I standing on a beach in Hawaii talking to Cyclops when I should have been burying him? Or why am I letting a crowd of humans push us around?"

"You didn't question my orders while in the field, you followed them. Why do you question me about them now?"

"I want to know what game you're playing Magneto. If I'm supposed to be leading the Brotherhood-"

"What on Earth gave you the idea that you were leading this Brotherhood," Magneto said, turning at last away from the window to look at him. "We are no longer the ragtag bunch of misfits I placed in Bayville. We are all mutants united together. Remember that. You are merely a member in that larger order of this. Yes, you have been given several assignments as a field leader, and in both missions you have failed to bring me the person I sent you to recruit. If you dare hope to reach the position I know you are vying for, you had better carefully examine why you have been a failure to me. I will not tolerate it for much longer."

"Failure? All I've done is followed your orders, but you keep sending me on missions I can't possibly finish. Kitty Pryde and Alex Summers are two people who will never join us, because of you!" Lance could feel his anger growing and the ground beneath him began to shake. Part of him tried to stop, know that Magneto would easily destroy him, but the ground continued to shake.

Lance felt a foot kick him in the back of the knee. The ground stopped shaking as Lance felt his leg give out. He collapsed down and someone grabbed his hair, forcing his head back. A knife reached his throat as he looked up into what appeared to be only shadows. He could feel the knife pressing against his skin, and a drop of blood rolled down this throat and chest. The shadows parted, revealing what could have been a beautiful woman. Lance had seen her around, though always at a distance, but she was easily recognizable. She was a young Asian woman, no more than twenty, with long purple hair. She wore a skin tight black body suit, and over her left eye was a red, blade shaped tattoo. She would have been the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, if it wasn't for her eyes. The dark violet eyes held no emotion, no sense of life.

"Hold Revanche," Magneto called, "many powers are connected to temper, and Avalanche here has a short one. He meant no harm."

The woman pulled the knife away from his throat and helped him to his feet. He turned to look at her, only to see her disappearing once again into the shadows until it was as if she had never been there.

Magneto walked over to him and handed him a cloth to wipe the blood away. "I rescued Revanche her from a criminal organization known as the Hand, where they were experimenting on her to create the perfect assassin. She has been traumatized by the incident, she doesn't talk, but she does write and know sign language. She has told me she is honor bound to protect my life, and swears to find revenge against those who would harm mutants the way she has been harmed. With her powers to blend into shadows and mental protection comparable to Wolverine's Weapon X conditioning, she is the perfect body guard. I am truly sorry you had to meet her in this manner, but she is very protective of me."

Lance could tell Magneto was being both sincere in his apology, but also using the incident as a lesson on how well protected he was. Not only did he have his own power, but he had a ninja lurking in the shadows whose sole job was to protect him.

"It is people like her who we fight for Lance, people like the girl she was before the Hand forced her into servitude. We fight for those mutants who cannot defend themselves, and we give them this sanctuary. We recruit those with the power to help defend our fledgling haven, and one thing Charles has done well is associate himself with powerful mutants. If we can sway even one to our cause we will be better prepared to defend ourselves. But even without Havok and X-23, I believe we have the power to complete the next part of my plan."

He led Lance to the door, his arm over his shoulder in a fatherly gesture. "Get some rest Avalanche, we soon make our move and I will have great need of you."

Lance, temporarily mollified, decided it was best to leave. Magneto closed the door with a wave of his hand and returned to the window. Shortly thereafter, the shadows in the room opened and Revanche stepped out.

"Watch him Kwannon. He is too valuable to us to have him doubting now."

With a nod, she stepped back into the shadows, and Magneto was alone with his thoughts.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: I give you a long chapter now because it will be a few days before I can write again; I am in the process of moving. But never fear more will be on its way next week. Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to make suggestions, comments or ask questions.**

**Up next: Kitty and Bobby get physical, X-23 adjusts horribly to life in the mansion, and more!**


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

X-23 was not used to beds. She'd spent the last year sleeping in caves and shelters she'd made in the woods, with piles of leaves and other debris for a mattress. For the 15 years before that, she was subjected to all manner of discomfort and torturous conditions thanks to Hydra. To be inside a large, inviting home like the mansion of Charles Xavier, lying in a large, plush bed, was almost too much for her. She hadn't really slept that night, though hardly felt the effect because of her healing factor and conditioning. She had mainly stared at the ceiling as she tried to get used to the sensation of the soft surface below her, the loose cotton clothes she had been given to sleep in, and the warm blanket covering her. Many times in the night she thought of getting up and sleeping on the floor, and she constantly fought the urge to put on her jumpsuit and just flee out the window into the night, but she stowed her instincts and remained lying in the strange bed in the strange house. She was determined to help Logan in his fight with Magneto, and the fight to help make a world safer so others wouldn't suffer as they had. She didn't know much about mutants and humans, or Xavier's dream of coexistence or Magneto's dream of domination. All she knew was that she was tired of running, tired of being used, and tired of others having to live the same way she had. And maybe it would have been easier to accomplish that if she had gone with Sabertooth to Magneto. But her instincts told her that he only wanted to use her as a weapon in his bid for power, while Xavier would at least care about her as a person. Plus, Logan was here.

She found herself thinking a lot about Logan during the night. Ever since she had realized that he was not the cause of her pain but just as much a victim as she was, she had found herself looking to him as an example. She had pored over every file Hydra had on him, so she knew a great deal about him and his activities since escaping Weapon X. She had tried to follow his example by taking down Hydra, just as he had searched out many bases Weapon X had used over the years. She had hoped to return to the Institute when she had finished her mission and join Logan, but knew that Hydra still had some forces out there, and that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be looking for her as well. Logan said he would take care of Fury, and she believed him. She felt safe with him, like maybe some of the pain from the past couldn't hurt her any more. Even when she had been destroying that last Hydra base and she felt he was getting in the way, she felt confident that with him by her side she could pull it off. She didn't know exactly who he was in her life, if he was a brother or a father or something else, but he was her mentor and he knew her, he understood her, and that put her at ease as they flew in the Velocity back to Bayville.

Yet now that she was at the mansion she was still terrified. She had no idea what to expect. When she had infiltrated the mansion the year before, she had been so angry at the sights of happiness and fun she saw the students having, the care and love they received from the adults, the way they were able to enjoy their existence. She had always planned on disabling all of them to get to Logan, but because they weren't miserable and hurt like she was she enjoyed taking them down, and had to restrain herself from seriously hurting them. Now she was going to be given a chance to be one of them, to have that happiness and love and support and all the normal things a child should get, and she was terrified. A combat mission, infiltration, even a war she could deal with. But right now, seeing the faces of everyone else and having to interact with them socially, she had no idea where to start. Hydra trained her to blend into a crowd and not draw attention to herself. They never trained her on how to fit in as a real member of a group.

So as the sun rose, instead of rising early as she normally would she stayed in the guest room she had been given, wondering just what everyone would think of her, and how she was going to get through it. She was about to just get up and get it over with when she heard voices.

"I'm telling you, Wolverine brought her in last night," said a boy.

"The same one that took us all out with those head thingies?" said another.

"Yeah, she's in there."

"Whoa. She's not going to do that to us again, is she?"

"I don't think so. The way they were showing her around it was like she's joining up."

"Wow, glad she's on our side, she's like Wolverine Jr. Wouldn't want to meet either one in a dark alley."

"Tell me about it. But man, it'll be funny watching her in training sessions. She's either going to be as gung ho as Logan or she's going to fight him on everything."

"I hope she's not gung ho, he'll think the rest of us should be too."

"Ya know, she has hearin' as good as Wolverine," came a new voice, a girl's. "Ya don't wanta be goin' an gettin' her mad, now do ya?"

"Right, going to school now. School's safe, right?"

The voices drifted off down the hall, and X-23 relaxed. For a moment she thought their curiosity would get the best of them and they'd come knocking on her door, but their fear of her stopped them. And she wasn't sure if she liked that either.

She pulled herself out of the bed and went into the bathroom. It was large and elaborate like everything she had seen at the mansion. She used the toilet, thankful to again have one to use (even Hydra had given her that, but nature did not) and she then noticed the shower.

After a half hour under the hot water, she felt more relaxed then she had ever in her life. The kinks in her muscles were massaged out by the various showerhead settings, and the grime from living in the wilderness was washed away with hot water and soap instead of lake water. She dried herself off with one of the towels stacked on a shelf, and walked back out into her guest room. On the bed she found some clothes that someone had come and left for her on the bed. They smelt like the girl who could walk through things, Shadowcat, but they had been recently and the scent was weak, so she put them on and looked at herself in the mirror. They were a little tight, but the girl in the blue jeans and black Xavier's Institute t-shirt that looked back at her from the glass made her smile. It had been a very long time since she had worn casual clothes, since the last time she had one of her "blending" lessons. That was before she had gone through the Weapon X process, before she was deemed too unstable. She pushed the anger that welled up in her aside. "That time is over, I'm free," she said to herself, a mantra she had started during her time in the wilderness.

There was a knock at the door at the same time she detected Logan's scent. "Come in," she said, turning from the mirror and watching him walk in. He too was in jeans and a black shirt, though his lacked the Xavier logo on the left breast.

"You almost look like a regular student here, kid," he said as he looked her once over and gave her a half smile.

"Stop calling me kid," she said, but without the angry conviction she had used when she had told him previous times.

"I will when you're not a kid any more. I know your childhood was mostly taken away from you, but you've got a chance to get that back now. Besides, I think it's a little better than X-23. Speaking of which, we're going to need to find you a name."

"A name?"

"Yeah, you don't see me going by Weapon X any more, do you? Though there are plenty of people out there who make the mistake of callin' me that," he said with a bit of a snarl in his voice.

"Okay, what's my name?"

"I dunno kid, I think that's for you to decide later. Professor wants to talk some more."

She nodded and followed him out of the door and down the stairs. She had met with the Professor briefly when they had arrived the night before, and she had liked the man. He was as Logan had assured her, "a man who genuinely wants to help."

She was led into the Professor's large study. The man sat in his wheelchair behind his desk waiting for her. The one called Storm was sitting in a chair in front of the desk, as was the blue one, Beast. She knew a little about each, but mainly information about their powers and tactical abilities.

"Ah, X-23, I hope you enjoyed your first night here, have a seat," he gestured to a third chair in between Beast and Storm. She came forward and sat down while Logan went to lean up against the fireplace mantel. "I must say that I am quite glad to have you here with us at the Institute. I believe here you will find a place where at last you can learn the skills needed to integrate with society, as well heal from what Hydra has done to you in your life. I'm only sorry that we have only just now been able to contact you."

"What happens to me now?" she asked.

"There are several things we will require of you in order to be a student here. First, when we're done here, Hank will give you a physical."

"I don't need that, I heal fast."

"Of course you do my dear," Hank said. "All the same we'd like to be sure you're healthy. Since cloning and genetic engineering is still a relatively new technology, there could be complications now that you're body is fully maturing. I may not be an expert on the subject, but I should be able to detect any problems that may need to be addressed, though with a healing factor like your's I'm sure you're as fit as fiddle."

Xavier continued. "Our primary goal for you is to help you adjust to the world outside. You will need to attend school classes, as an education will be key to helping you transition better into your new life. We will privately tutor you here at the Institute until you have caught up with the rest of the students, at which time you can join them at the local High School. I would also like to set up a regular meeting with you, perhaps once or twice a week depending on how needed they are, just to talk and discuss you past. There is a great deal of trauma that you have lived through, and with my help we can work through any problems that might occur in the future due to them. Logan also has several private lessons that he would like you to take with him; I will allow you two to work out the details. Other than that, you are free to do what you want. You are more than welcome to join in the training sessions of the other students, but it is your choice. Your particular mutation is one of more intuitive powers rather than those that can be trained, and you have already proven yourself more than a match for the others in combat. Joining one of the teams, in combat or in training, is entirely up to you. You will be free to leave the Institute and explore Bayville when you feel comfortable, though I do ask that for your own safety you always go with other students and an adult chaperone. The remnants of Hydra may still be looking for you and General Fury will no doubt be interested-"

Logan pushed himself off the wall and held a hand out as he cocked his head to listen to something. X-23 did the same and heard them, helicopters heading their way. "Three 'copters, big ones too," Logan said.

Xavier closed his eyes and concentrated. "It's Fury, but that's all I can tell. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s psychic inhibitors are improving."

"Kid, stay here, we'll handle this," Logan said as the others made their way to the door.

She got up and followed them. "No, I'm not running anymore."

Logan looked at Xavier, who nodded in deferment to him. "Fine, but if things get messy remember to go easy on them. Hard to tell but they're the good guys most of the time."

The five mutants made their way to the front lawn as three helicopters landed. The side door to the lead one opened, and Nick Fury jumped out, flanked on each side by a soldier and followed by a woman in a suit. His coat blowing in the wind, Fury made his way to where they were standing near the driveway. He put his hand out and shook Xavier's hand. "Charles, good to see you again."

"And you General."

There was no "what brings you here" or further small talk. Both knew exactly why Fury had made his way to Bayville. He looked over at X-23, staring long into her eyes before speaking. "So you're the famous X-23. I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time now."

"How did you know she was here Fury?" Logan asked.

"We have constant surveillance on the Institute Logan, too much power here to just turn a blind eye too. And when a Xavier Institute helicopter heads to the Canadian wilderness, we take notice, especially when one of Magneto's spheres is detected in the area too. I had my suspicions given how close you were to where the Hydra base was destroyed, so I came here to see for myself if you brought the girl back with you."

"We won't allow you to take her General," Xavier said. "She has suffered enough as a weapon for others."

"I have no intention of taking her; she's too unstable to be much use to me. I have no doubt Charles that you and your's will be able to give her everything she needs to get over what Hydra did to her far better than I could. But someday when she's ready she'll be a valuable asset to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Like hell she will be bub!" Logan yelled.

"I won't let you turn me into another mindless weapon to do your dirty work!" X-23 said, her claws snapping out of her fists.

"Calm down kid. Logan here used to do missions for me, still does on occasion, and he'll tell you I don't send people to do things I wouldn't do myself, if I were a few years younger. What I mean is that you can really help us out taking out groups like Hydra in the future. I'm not about to lose anyone by trying to force you to do anything, but I can hope you come to the point of wanting to help me."

"I doubt it."

He just smiled. "You are your father's daughter 23."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Fury turned to his aide and took a folder and a small palm pilot from her. "We started working on these when Dr. Risman came to us about the Hydra's Weapon X ambitions. Most of it is your true past, classified of course, but for public record, Logan is your father, mother was a Jane Doe runaway. We'll give you everything you need to start a life for yourself. Even has a place for you to put your name."

"She won't be in your debt like this Fury!" Logan said.

"She won't be, but she needs us if she ever intends to leave the mansion. You know me Logan, I'm not a cruel man. I may have seen her as an asset when Risman came to us, but I also saw a little girl who'd been forced to grow up very fast by the bad guys I'm trying to stop. All I need is her finger prints and a name and we'll get her everything she needs. And yeah, I'm scratching your back so someday you'll scratch mine, but like I said, I'm not the type to force you kid. We're S.H.I.E.L.D., not Hydra."

She looked at him intently for a few moments, and then placed her hand on the outstretched device. In did a quick scan, and with a beep it was done.

"I hope everything works out for you kid. What they did to you is one of the reasons I hate Hydra so much."

"Me too."

Fury smiled. "You're in good hands kid. Logan, call me when she comes up with a name and we'll send you documents for her." Fury turned and headed back to the helicopter, calling out one last time. "Remember kid, I scratched your back!" He climbed into the helicopter and in and its escorts took off into the morning sun.

"Told you I'd handle him," Logan said with a smile as they headed back into the mansion.

-------------

"Dude, you actually met Revanche? I thought she was just a rumor," Freddie asked.

Todd hopped onto the table and looked at Lance, "I hear she's like mega super hot. You think she's into me?"

They were sitting at what would one day be a sidewalk café. Since the population of Avalon was relatively small, much of what would become a bustling mutant community was empty. They had found this café a few days ago during their wandering through what Magneto had created and it had become their place to laze.

"Yeah, she's pretty hot, until you look in her eyes. I've never seen anything like it. Magneto said the Hand had tortured her, and you can see it man. Her eyes are dead, like she wouldn't care about cutting your throat or letting you go. It's scary."

"Whoa, sounds like another girl who would hate your guts Toad."

"Hey, shut up Blob. You're just jealous that my Wanda Bear is madly in love with the Toad."

"Okay, seriously Toad, you stay away from my sister," Pietro cut it. "She's getting pretty ticked off at you and her temper's not all gone, remember?"

"I know, I know, but a dude can dream yo. Hehe, maybe one day we'll be family!"

"Dream about something else Todd, you're making me sick."

Lance rubbed his neck where a small scar from the dagger was still there. "What kind of name is Revanche, anyways? Sounds like she's trying to take my name."

"It's French, it means revenge," Pietro said. "Sounds like she's got some anger issues too. I bet she and Wanda will be best friends."

"I didn't know you spoke French Pietro," Blob said.

"I speak a lot of languages, I'm a fast learner."

"Yo, give me something to say to Wanda, something, you know, romantic sounding."

"How about I run you out to the middle of the ocean and drop you there?"

"Man Pietro, why you being like that? I thought it was bros before hos yo."

"Did you just call my sister a ho?"

"Uh, no, of course not, you know, it's, ahhh!"

Pietro grabbed Todd and ran with him up the side of the nearby building to the roof, swining him over the edge ready to drop him.

"I might not be super strong, but I bet I could get you at least to the other side of the street from this height."

"I swear man, I didn't mean anything."

"Whatever, I should do it just to teach you some—"

Pietro stopped short as his eyes caught someone walking down the street towards the café. Putting Toad down on the edge of the building, he ran back down to the other. "Heads up guys we have company."

Just then from around the corner two people appeared, a man and a woman. The man was tall, nearly six and a half feet, with dusky black skin. The sun glared off of his bald head and illuminated the M tattooed over his eye. He wore a plain black jumpsuit with two plasma pistols in holsters at his hips. The woman had pale skin and long black hair tied back behind her. Her eyes were hard, with small scars underneath them. She too wore a black jumpsuit, though her's was much more form fitting and the front was unzipped past the valley of her breast. She wore pistol, down lower then the man, strapped to her him.

They walked with a purpose over to the group. "Don't you have something more productive to be doing then sitting around all day?" The woman asked.

"Magneto hasn't given us anything to do," Lance said. "All he's said is to wait until he called us."

The man grunted. "Leave them Sage; I wouldn't trust them with any of the work around here anyways."

"What do you want Bishop, or are you two just here to give us crap for being a bunch of lazy kids?" Lance asked.

"Magneto is looking for Gambit. Have any of you seen him."

"Haven't seen Gambit in days." Blob answered.

"What's so important about the Cajun?" Quicksilver asked. "Who needs a thief when you can run faster than alarms?"

"Magneto's business. Contact us if you see him." The two continued down the road past them.

"Man, what a tool," Lance said as they got out of ear shot.

"Hey guys? Anyone wanna help get me down?" yelled Toad.

-------------

When Rogue and Kurt walked into the rec room they found Bobby sitting watching television. Watching was a bit of a stretch. He sat on the couch which a pile of ice sitting on his chest and larger piece pressed against his eye as he stared blankly at the teen drama stars on the television.

"Ugh Bobby, why are ya watching this crap?" Rogue asked. "And what the hell happened ta you?"

"Kitty happened. And I would change the channel, but the remote's all the way over there," he said, pointing at the remote sitting about a foot out of his reach.

Kurt laughed and flipped the remote to him. "Kitty did zhis?"

Bobby groaned. Rogue laughed. "Girl has been takin' lessons three days ah week from Logan for almost two and a half years. It shows."

"What did I do to deserve this? I've done nothing but apologize for the last week."

"Maybe 'cause there's only ah week left until the dance an' since you haven't asked her yet she' cutting it close on how long she has to find ah dress," Rogue offered.

"Tomorrow, I'm asking her tomorrow at school, I swear,"

Kurt just laughed. "Oh man, you are already so vhipped!"

"Laugh it up furball, how tight around her finger does Amanda have you?"

"Touché."

"Well, if ya boys don't mind, Ah think Ah'm gunna take ah walk," Rogue said getting up.

"Sis, ve're sorry, ve can talk about something else."

"Don't bother Kurt, Ah just need some air, that's all."

Rogue walked out of the room, leaving behind anything else they might have said. Sometimes she didn't understand herself. She could talk and tease Kitty all the time about boys and relationships, but sometimes, out of no where it hit her and she had to get out of there. She knew she would never touch anyone, she would never have the relationship her brother and Amanda had, or the one Kitty and Bobby were moving towards. And as much as they made her sick when they were together, part of her was envious of what they had.

She made her way to a tree out in the grounds that she often sat and read under. It reminded her a great deal of home and better days as a child where she didn't have the burdens she carried now, days where she could sit and daydream about her wedding, about the perfect man she would have and the life they would lead. Those dreams were worse then nightmares now, because they were hopeless. Her life was cursed, and as tears began to uncontrollably fall down her face she tucked her knees in her arms and buried her face.

She ignored the "bamf" she heard next to her, but when an arm wrapped around her she moved her head to rest against Kurt's chest.

"It's okay Rogue. Let it out."

"It's not okay Kurt! Ah'm cursed. Ah'm never going to be able ta touch someone or hold their hand of be in ah relationship because Ah'll kill them. It's not fair!"

"I know it isn't fair. But zhat is vhy you are here, zu help get control. You vill find avay because you von't accept not being able zu touch. And in zhe mean time," he lifted her chin with his gloved hand to look her in the eye, "ve vill all make do. Ve vill find vays," he said, wiping away a falling tear.

She smiled slightly at this and hugged him. "Ah'm really glad to have you as mah brother Kurt."

"And I am glad zu have you as my sister."

They stayed like that for five minutes, Rogue's tears coming to just sobs, and eventually ending. Kurt held her and stroked her hair, reassuring her that she was loved despite her handicap, and that things would work out in the end. She eventually broke the hug and stood, brushing her cheeks to wipe away the tears.

"Gawd, Ah'm a mess, aren't Ah?"

"Ja, but zhat's vhat you get for veering so much makeup."

"Shut it Elf," she said, but she did give him a slight smile. "Don't tell everyone about this, 'kay? Ah don't want everyone fussin' over me."

"Zhey vouldn't believe me if I told zhem you cried, so no problem."

She gave him another hug. "You're always there for me, ain't you?"

"I'm your brother, I alvays vill be."

An explosion rocked the front gate, sending the two teens flying to the ground. Luckily they were also thrown apart, so Rogue didn't touch Kurt accidentally.

"Why is it every time there's ah tender moment around here something explodes!" Rogue said, pulling her self to her feet. A shadow above her moved forward, and she threw a punch at the figure. It grabbed her wrist and pulled her near. Her vision filled with glowing red eyes on a black background and it stopped her heart for a beat.

"Now chere, I'm glad ta see you to, but tears a' joy are a bit much, don' you t'ink?"


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

**Three hours earlier...**

There had been seven different locations that could have contained the target. The man responsible for this was, among many other things, thorough in his planning. It had taken Gambit weeks just to get enough information in order narrow it down to seven possible hideouts, and another three to narrow it down further. Even now, as he sat on his motorcycle outside what appeared to be pristine warehouse west of New York, he wasn't sure if this was the right place. There were too many holes in this plan for him to be completely comfortable.

Maybe that's what had first attracted him to Magneto, the near obsessive attention to detail the man had in everything he did. A master strategist, Magneto always seemed to be three steps ahead of everyone around him. Gambit liked that. Of course Gambit had found himself in the employment of the Master of Magnetism because the money was ridiculously good, but he also had liked working for someone who thought the same way he did. He didn't really care one way or another about mutants and humans since he lived on the fringe of society already, but Gambit was the type of person that had to have his jobs well planned in advanced, details discovered and exploited before he ever walked into the building that held his target. He might occasionally have to fly by the seat of his pants, but the Thieves Guild had pounded their motto into his brain, "Be prepared." Magneto had forgotten that when he rushed out to face Apocalypse, which is why Gambit now had no problem ending his contract by stealing something very valuable to Magneto. But here he was, ready to go in practically blind.

Gambit was thankful that Magneto had not moved this particular treasure to Avalon, but that still didn't make him feel any better about the job. Magneto was half the world away, but his mind was still a danger to Gambit. Even if this was the wrong hideout, there would still be plenty of traps and defenses the thief would have to get through before he realized it was too late. And he only had one shot at this. Once the alarm was tripped, and because he didn't know the full defense system of the base he knew he would eventually trip one, he had very little time to finish his business and get out to make a getaway.

He looked to his right, where a black van stood waiting. At least the getaway part was ready, his new employer had seen to that. All he had to do was get lucky, find the package in this building and get out alive. He checked his cards and staff one last time, and took out a pack of gum. Chewing kept his nerves calm and helped him focus. He popped a piece into his mouth and walked away from the building.

In front a building two warehouses down the line was a power relay station, which he casually brushed up against as he ran to a small gap between two of the buildings. Leaping from wall to wall, he scaled up the small chimney until he could launch himself upwards with one last leap, clearing the roof of the building. His feet touched the concrete just as the power box below exploded. Lights for blocks around clicked off, some bulbs shattering at the sudden surge of power. Yet another flaw in his plan, he had no idea if there were back up generators in the target building that would kick on.

Remy sprinted across the rooftops, leaping the gaps in between buildings until he stood on the target's roof. He continued to run, reaching into his coat and pulling out a small grappling hook. Reaching the edge of the building he jammed it into the small ledge surrounding the rooftop and leapt over the side. The cable attached to his belt unfurled the set distance and he swung back to the building, catching himself with his legs. He was level with a small ventilation grate just below the roofline. Pulling a pick from where he tucked it behind his ear, he had the lock on the thin grate open in a few seconds. He pushed the metal inward on its hinges, slid his body into the opening and pushed a button on his belt. The talons of the grapple closed and the cable retracted itself. He tucked it back into his jacket as he closed the grate and relocked it.

He was in a tight space, but for someone as limber as he was it was easily manageable. If the schematics of the building were correct, he had twenty five feet to go before the duct dropped down to a secondary duct that went through a dividing wall in the warehouse below. From there he had another fifty feet before there was an opening large enough for him to get through. He quickly moved down the narrow tunnel, slipping easily into the secondary duct and then down to the opening. According to the info he'd been able to dig up, the warehouse proper didn't have any sort of alarm system inside the building. He pulled out a small pocketknife and opened up a flathead screwdriver, loosening the edges of the grating enough to pull up and drop down to the floor below.

His increased agility allowed him to land and roll quietly and without injury. He figured he had another ten to fifteen seconds before any secondary generators kicked on, and he again sprinted, this time to a large, flat section of the wall. He reached under his coat again, pulling out a flat piece of metal. He jammed it into a crack in the wall and pulled. The lever was enough pressure to open the false wall enough for him to slip through, the door nearly closing on his coattail as soon as he was through. Ten seconds left at most.

He looked forward and found himself face to face with another wall, this one with a circle carved out of it and a metal iris built into it. "Dieu, da man really like his metal. Dis not gunna be easy," he said, reaching behind him under his coat and he pulling out his staff. It expanded with a snap as he attempted to jam his crowbar into the tiny cracks between each iris piece. With the power off the resistance was lessened, and he managed to make a big enough gap to get his staff in. Pushing hard, he again opened a hole big enough to fit through and dove through the opening. As he rolled forward into a crouch, he heard the sound of electricity kicking on and the iris snapped shut behind him. He was in and past the outside security alarms. As far as he could tell, he had tripped nothing.

He made is way cautiously down the staircase before them. The set up to this complex was similar to the one Gambit and his team had worked out of on the other side of the city, but the iris was a new edition, enough to have Gambit worried. He knew the security of the other base intimately, having both helped design it and broken in to it as a test. He had of course not told Magneto all of the holes he had found, knowing it was best to keep and ace in his sleeve for a rainy day. Luckily, thus far, the internal security remained the same. He deftly maneuvered around a series of laser trip wires, and through a few camera blind spots until he found himself in this base's version of the main control room. A few backdoor passwords later and the security systems were disabled.

He made his way to the back of the underground complex, where he found a large metallic door locked with an electronic hand print reader. "Don't t'ink de I'm on de guest list here. And best not to blow dis door, risky," he muttered to himself, pulling out the pocket knife again. He used it to pry off the front panel of the palm reader and began to work on the wirings. It was a little more complex then some of the systems he'd broken into recently, but he soon found the right wires to cross. The lock short circuited and the door slid open.

"Who are you?" came a voice from the other side in a thick Russian accent.

Gambit looked up from his handiwork to see a large man with graying hair standing in front of a woman and a small blonde haired girl. He smiled, happy that he had guessed right when he decided to look here.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Rasputin. M'name is Remy LeBeau, I'm here ta rescue you."

"How do I know you are not one of his men?"

"I was for a while, not anymore. Me and Piotr bustin' you folks outta here."

"Piotr?" the little girl cried, pulling away from her father. "Where is Piotr?"

Gambit knelt down and smiled at the girl. "He outside wit da car pitite, he not good wit da sneaking around like Gambit." Alarms rang out around him. Glancing back at the panel dangling from the wall, he saw it flashing a message about secondary systems detecting a break in. "M'ybe Gambit not as good as he t'ought." He scooped the girl up in his arms. "We best be running, non?"

The man grabbed this hand of his wife and followed Gambit as he ran back to the main control room. The doorway to the passage out was slowly closing like a scene out of Indiana Jones. Gambit ushered the two elder Rasputins through the closing door, rolling under with the girl himself. He was back in the corridor ending in the iris. They began running towards the sealed opening as the girl looking over his shoulder screamed. Behind him a net of lasers had activated and were sweeping towards them. Cursing silently to himself, he ran out in front of the girl's parents, looking for a way to open the iris. His sharp eyes could see, even from this distance that there was no panel on this side of the wall either. Only Magneto could determine who left here. With no time to put the girl down and charge a card, or run to the door and back, he did the only thing he could think of: he spit his gum the distance to the door. Turning to cover her with his back and to stop the parents from running long enough to be safe, the felt the force of the small explosion from the charged gum sticking to the metal doorway. He handed the girl to her mother and they continued down the hallway. Together with the father, he managed to pry the remnants of the door open enough for them all to escape.

Just as they were through, the false warehouse wall shattered, and a tall figure made of metal stepped through. "I heard the explosion, what is, Illyana!" he cried as the girl squirmed out of her mother's grasp and ran to her brother. He shifted his form into flesh once more and knelt to hug the girl. His parents joined her in hugging their son, the family reunited for the first time in over a year.

After a short while, the big man stood up and walked to Gambit, embracing the man as well. "Thank you my friend, you have brought hope to me again in this dark world."

"M' pleasure, mon ami, but I t'ink it's best time we get goin'. No tellin' if Magneto knows dere's an alarm an' gunna come lookin'."

"Da, the van is prepared."

"Den let's go fin' someplace safe for your family."

-------------

"And so you brought them here?" Xavier asked for clarification as they sat in his office. Around him, the Rasputins sat in the chairs in front of the desk, with Gambit and Colossus on either side of them. Behind him, Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Storm, Jean, Rogue and Nightcrawler leaned on the wall around the room.

"Best we figure, Magneto not gunna attack here, dey be safe wit' you."

"Yes, I find it highly unlikely that Erik would attack here just to recapture the Rasputins."

"Still doesn't explain why you blew up the gate Swamp Rat." Rogue said.

"We rang de bell, couple o' times. No answer."

"That may be my fault," Hank said. "The New Mutants were practicing in the field this afternoon, and Ray unleashed an attack that was a bit stronger then he expected. It took down a lot of equipment; I suspect the front gate controls were among the ones damaged that I didn't find."

"We had no idea if Magneto was behind us. I could not risk delaying, not when my family is involved," Piotr said.

"I'm more den willin' to pay for the gate, if dat gunna cost de Rasputins sanctuary."

"No, that won't be necessary Mr. LeBeau. We are more than willing to protect Piotr and his family, as well as yourself if you so wish. I imagine Magneto will not be pleased with your betrayal."

"You were really imprisoned by Magneto for over a year?" Storm asked. "I find it hard to believe even he would do that."

"No, he merely threatened them for a while to force me to fight for him. But after his return from his time with Apocalypse he felt he needed more to control me," Colossus said. "I could not allow it to happen any longer."

"Well, I'm sure it has been a hard night for all of you," he said, smiling at the sleeping figure of Illyana. "Jean, would you and Rogue please show them all to the guest rooms?"

The two girls got every up and out of the door. As soon as the door shut, Scott spoke up. "I don't trust them."

"Scott, you are forgetting that I am a telepath, and I sense no alterative motives within any of them. In fact, the concern for his family that young Piotr has is nearly overwhelming."

"We knew something was up with him for a while," Logan said. "Now we know exactly what Magneto had over him. He might have some information on Buckethead that we can use too. It's Gambit I don't trust."

"We will have to keep an eye on him. He is here to help his friend, but he is a crafty one and may take advantage of situations that arise."

"The X-Men don't need him Professor."

"While he could be great asset to him, the risk of putting him with the team is too great. He and Piotr will be granted sanctuary here, and we will protect them from Magneto, but the will be guest and not members of the Institute. We should, however, reach out to them in hopes that one day they will fully join us."

-------------

Jean had taken the Rasputins down the hall, leaving Rogue alone with Gambit and a new reason to hate Jean. The redhead my act like a goody-goody most of the time, but she had a real wicked troublemaking streak in her, Rogue thought. The situation further bothered Rogue by Remy's complete silence as they made their way to the room he would be staying in. She finally had enough and broke the silence.

"Why are you here Swamp Rat? If you think being tha knight and shiny armor for Colossus's family is goin' ta get ya on mah good side, ya crazier than Ah thought."

"Chere, don' flatter yourself. I helped Piotr 'cause da big man is m' friend. You have lots o' dem in dis big old mansion, but I don' have many of dem in dis world so I help dem when I can. In other words, dis ain't 'bout you."

"Yeah, lahke I really believe that."

"Believe what you want, Chere. Don' get me wrong, it nice t' see you again, but I'm here 'cause Piotr asked me to help him, and we both sick o' Magneto."

Rogue stopped and pushed open a door. "Here's your room LeBeau, try not ta steal anything while you're here."

"Gambit make no promises Rogue. Dere a lot of fine filles here wit' hearts to steal," he said with a wink, closing the door behind him.

-------------

Magneto surveyed the damage done to the base. It was minor, but the real damage was done with the rescue of the Rasputin family. The involvement of Colossus was understandable, but to have Gambit turn on him as well was an unexpected shock. It was no matter, both could be replaced with far more loyal members now that Avalon was nearing completion.

He lifted his hand and from the sphere rose a small communication device. He pushed a button on it. "Sage here," the device said in a small voice.

"It was indeed Colossus, and Gambit as well. We will need to step our plans to bolster our ranks. When is the earliest we can begin?"

"There earliest security gap that can be exploited is Friday night."

"Good, we will make our move then. Gather the idiots of the former Brotherhood and I will be there to brief them shortly. Our rescue of the girl may also yield us more immediate replacements for Gambit and Colossus."


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

The arrival of Remy and Piotr was met with mix reactions by the Institute population. Many didn't know of their defection until walking into the dining room that morning and finding the two men calmly eating breakfast with Piotr's family, Illyana wide eyed at all the types of food laid out before her. Some were immediately on guard until they saw Scott on the other side of the table paying their supposed enemies very little attention. For others, like Tabitha, it was a welcome sight and she ran over and gave Piotr a big hug. They had gotten to know each other a bit after Apocalypse, during the few hours the teams mingled before Magneto took his followers away. It made her happy to see the big man finally out from under the thumb of Magneto.

The others, once realizing that the two men were here as friends, began warming up to them. Rahne, Dani, Kitty and Amara immediately fell in love with Illyana, who was fascinated by everything she saw and heard. The New Mutant guys were immediately drawn in by a story Gambit launched into about the time he wooed a famous pop star to get a necklace she had been wearing for an event that night. Others were getting to know more about life in Russia from Piotr and his parents.

Sitting at the far side of the table drinking a cup of tea and eating a light breakfast, Professor Xavier smiled at all of this. He was happy to see his students open and friendly to those who just the day before were considered enemies. It brought hope to his heart to see such an integral part of his dream realized as they saw past their differences to embrace commonality. He hoped, with the future he feared looming over them, that they would remain a shining example of what should be.

It was soon time for school and the students filed out of the dining room down to the garage. Storm offered to show the new arrivals around the mansion, which they happily accepted.

-------------

Logan found X-23 sitting on the edge of the gazebo overlooking the ocean. "There you are kid, I've been looking all over for you. Hank's busy working on the blood work of that Rasputin girl, something funny he said, so my lesson with you is bumped up."

"I picked a name," she said, not looking at him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Laura."

"It's a good name. Why'd you pick that?"

"Dr. Risman would call me that sometimes, when she would read me stories. She would read me military reports, war theories, things like that. But every once in a while she'd read me a story about a puppet who wanted to be a real boy. She would call me Laura sometimes then. It made me feel like I was normal for a little while."

"Guess the good doc had more of a conscience then I thought. She tried to help more than I realized."

"She should have helped more!" Laura said, slamming her fist down onto the stone of the gazebo.

"Yeah, she should have."

There was more silence between them for a minute. "I don't want to be X-23 at all. I don't want to be that person. I hate that person."

"I'm sure we can find you a new code name if you decide to go into the field. And I'll make sure the Prof. makes an announcement about your new name. The others will be happy for you."

She turned and looked at him with a confused look on her face. "Why are the others trying to be friends with me? And with those two men who came last night and blew up the gate? We were all their enemies, now they act like they trust us."

"The kids here have good hearts. Lots of them come from bad backgrounds, and they've all had to deal with being on the outside 'cause they're mutants. Makes them a little more accepting. Maybe they don't trust you all completely, but they're willing to give you a chance."

"I don't like the one with the black eyes. He smells... wrong."

"Yeah, it's all the crawfish, messes with people's scent. I hate going down there, drives me crazy. Keep an eye on him though, especially around the valuables. I still don't trust Gumbo."

"Okay."

"What do you think of the other one, Colossus?"

She tried to avoid looking him in the eye. "He's okay."

"Okay huh?" he let out a small laugh. "All right. How about we just skip to the lesson?"

"Okay. What do you want to teach me?"

"Control. You've got your anger pinned down a lot more then I expected you to have, but it's still there. We're going to work on making sure it doesn't get out of hand."

"Control like you have?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't say it would be easy or that I'm a master. But it's better than nothing. You can use it to your advantage, channel it in a fight. But you can go to far and they who knows what you'll end up doin', 'cause it'll take over. Pulling yourself out of the rage is the hard part, so we can start by keeping your head on straight and stopping you from going there in the first place. I figured we'd start with some basic meditation."

They sat there on the cliff the rest of the morning, talking about clearing ones mind and relaxing under pressure.

-------------

At lunch, a small group of mutants gathered in one of the back doorways to the school cafeteria, looking into the mass of students.

"You ready for zhis?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Sweet dude, my first day at school and I get to see you totally embarrass yourself in the cafeteria."

"Shut up Alex."

"Vhen do you vant me to start zhe music?"

"I don't know, maybe, wait, what music?"

"You're singing zhe song right?"

"No I'm not singing the song, are you crazy?"

"Nein, you're crazy for singing zhe song."

"For the last time, I'm not signing the song!"

"After all zhe work I did to get zhe CD player hooked up to zhe caf's speakers, you're not going to sing?"

"I told you this morning I had a nightmare about it, I'm just going to ask her."

"Dude, totally boring."

"Shut up Alex! There's enough pressure as it is."

"She's going to totally hate you for waiting this long."

"She'll hate me more if I wait longer."

"Dude, you're still standing here."

"Yeah."

"Maybe you should go out there?"

"Right, okay, I'm going in."

"God speed mein freund!"

"Hey guys, what's happening?"

"Hey Ray, Bobby's going to ask Kitty out."

"Oh this should be good."

Bobby could hear Ray and Roberto joining in to the whispered conversation as he made his way across the cafeteria. He felt sort of the way he felt when he went up against Juggernaut, his first real mission with the X-Men where he knew he was heading for trouble. He had a queasy feeling in his stomach, his head slightly dizzy, and his hands were shaking a bit.

Ahead of him, Kitty say at a table with Dani and some of the friends she had managed to keep despite the mutant panic most of the school felt when they were ousted by Magneto a year ago. She was wearing a tight fitting powder blue t-shirt and jeans with a pair of boots. She was laughing at something someone just said, a perfect smile on her face as her short hair bounced. He froze for a moment, stunned by her. "She looks perfect," he thought to himself. "God I hope this works." Letting his nervousness and fear slip away, he let the Iceman part of him take control, the part that could keep his cool under pressure. He finished walking over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hi Kitty."

She turned around and gave him a heart melting grin. "Hi Icee! Have a seat," she said, scooting over to free some of the bench for him.

"No, thanks, I only have a second." He reached behind him, pretending to scratch his back. "Listen, I realize it's probably way to late, but we've been fighting and then you sorta beat me up last night," her friends sniggered at this, "anyways, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go to the dance with me tomorrow," he said, pulling his hand from behind his back and revealing a long stem rose made of ice. He knew the effect it would have on her, as all of her friends and even some of the mutant hating cheerleaders watching from the next tabled all "awwed" at the romance of the scene.

Kitty reached out and gently took the ice rose, looking at for a moment with joy all over her face. But then her eyes partially closed, and a hard look came over her face as she looked up at him. Bobby braced for impact. "You're giving me one day to find a dress? After all the drama of this week, you top it off by giving me a day to find a dress. Are you out of your mind?"

"I, um, well, I would have sooner, but you know, you weren't talking to me and then, um, my bad?"

She grinned at him, an evil grin at that. "Lucky for you I bought a dress a few weeks ago. We'll have to work on your punctuality Mr. Drake, I don't want to be late tomorrow night."

"Wait, so?"

"That's a yes Bobby, I'd love to go with you."

"Awesome! Meet you in the main hall at seven?"

"Sounds perfect, don't be late." She smiled at him for a moment longer, then gave a little pout as she looked at the rose. "It's going to melt."

"I'll make you a new one."

"You'd better."

"I will."

She smiled, and glanced over his shoulder. "I think the guys are going to hurt something trying to listen over here, go tell them I said yes and I'll see you later in English."

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Kurt, Alex, Ray and Roberto trying to inconspicuously watch the scene from the caf's doorway. He turned back and smiled at her. "Yeah, good idea, bye Kitty."

"Bye Icee."

He left, and she turned back to her friends. She hardly heard them as she stared at the rose in her hands with a smile.

-------------

The next 24 hours were hectic for the mutants. Bobby and Kitty managed to hear almost nothing in English class that afternoon as they kept stealing glances at each other. But that night they didn't see each other at all, as homework kept them busy most of the time. Kitty did enjoy a long gossip session with Tabitha, Amara, Dani and Jean, who discussed Bobby at length. Meanwhile, Bobby merely said a few words with each of the guys who asked him about Kitty, and then they returned to whatever they were doing.

Friday was a long day at school for everyone, as most of them still in high school would be going to the dance that night. After struggling through their classes, they rushed home to get ready for the night. The girls spent the four hours until Storm would be driving them all back to school getting ready, while the boys spent most of the time online playing Halo 2, and the last half hour getting ready.

Seven finally came and Bobby was sitting on a chair at the base of the atrium stairs waiting for Kitty. He was glad the dance was only semi-formal and he didn't have to go rent a tux on such short notice. He wore a dark navy shirt with a royal blue tie and black slacks. He sat with his elbows resting on his thighs, his legs shaking up and down in a nervous release of energy. He was still a little shocked about the whole thing. He had asked Kitty Pryde out and was going to a dance with her. Not something he ever expected to happen during his stay at the Xavier Institute. When he first came here, Kitty was certainly not a girl he considered datable. She was annoying, not really grown up (he ignored the fact that he wasn't either), and cute but not great next to Rogue and Jean. But now, two years later, she was a completely different girl. He wasn't sure if it was his own way of perceiving things or changes in her that contributed most to how he saw her, but now he found her to be smart, funny, incredibly kind, and just as beautiful as the other ladies on the team. Her experiences had certainly changed her for the better, if only to take like out of her vocabulary, he though with a smile.

"What are you smiling at?" he heard from the top of the stairs and turned to watch Kitty come down. She was wearing a shimmering light blue gown with a matching shawl, her hair pulled back and folded close against her head. Her blue eyes sparkled with amusement at him.

He stood up and gave her a smile. "You. Just how much we've all changed, how I never thought you and I would be doing something like this."

"Never?"

"Well, not until recently. You look amazing."

She gave him a curtsy and a little twirl. "You're looking pretty good yourself. Shall we go?"

He held out his arm and she slipped hers into it. "Lets. Everyone else is already out in the car waiting." The two teens headed outside, ready for a night of fun with one another, the smile never leaving their faces.

-------------

Remy had been watching her from the doorway to her room for about a minute now, and he was pretty sure she didn't realize she had left her door open. She sat propped up on her bed, eyes closed and her hands pressing down on a pair of studio quality headphones on her ears. She was nodding along to the music, completely oblivious to everything around her. He had no idea what it was about Rogue that constantly brought his thoughts back to her. There were plenty of women in the world, plenty Gambit had been with in the course of his work with the Guild. He really hoped he wasn't just coming back to her because she was the unattainable that he wanted to attain. He already regretted using her once, and that felt like it would be even worse.

He was ripped from his thoughts as she suddenly screamed out in song, obviously the chorus of whatever she was listening to. "_Guarding yourself from the love of another! Left you with nothing tonight! So now you know why the devil is laughing! He left you with nothing tonight! You did decide.._."

He could tell she had a normally beautiful singing voice, despite it being covered in a gravelly impression of the rock star singing. Her head thrashed more, the white bangs flashing as they flipped from side to side. He grinned and chuckled a bit as her face contorted to hold the last note.

The song must have died in her headphones because she looked up at him suddenly, her face going bright red in embarrassment. "What the hell are ya doin' here Swamp Rat!" she screamed, ripping the headphones from her ears and throwing them aside.

"I was jus' walk'n by when I saw you still here. T'ought everyone at da dance t'night, so what are you doin' here, Chere?"

"Dances ain't my thing. Now get outta here before Logan smells ya in the girls wing an' spills ya guts all over the floor outside mah room."

"I seen scary t'ings den da Big Bad Wolverine, Chere." He came into her room and sat in her desk chair. His face was dark for moment, as if remembering those things, then he gave her a smile. "So Chere, why ain't dances your t'ing? Penny for yo' t'oughts."

She scoffed. "Ya'd just steal that penny back."

"Gambit don't steal everyt'ing Rogue."

"Of course not, some things are nailed down."

He gave her a grin at that. "So true."

She laughed despite herself, then just rolled her eyes at him. "Why are ya still here Remy? Piotr's family is safe, why stay?"

"Man tells you he can keep you safe from Magneto, offer you a nice room ta' stay in at his mansion, you don't say non. M'bye I help you when he come knockin'. Wanted to help wit Apocalypse, but guess you couldn't find me down South."

"Didn't look."

"Fair enoug'," he said with a shrug. "Answer me dis Chere, how a girl so full of life be so dead?"

Her head spun at the sudden change in direction. "What are ya talkin' about?"

"You Rogue, you got all dis energy, dis fire and passion an' you waste it sittin' here singin' songs ta yourself. Why not go ta da dance an' be wit your friends?"

"Remy, for someone who's touched mah ya don't catch on too fast. Ah can't touch anyone. Ah can't date anyone, Ah can't be in a crowd 'cause Ah'm scared of what might happen. What's the point of going if Ah'm just gunna stand in the corner the whole time?"

Gambit stood and walked over to her. He reached out with his hand, which was gloved despite being in civvies. Rogue pulled her arm away. "Ya really are crazy. You know what'll happen."

"Rogue, chere, do you trust me?"

"Not at all."

"Oh well, m'bye dis get through ta you anyways." He reached out and grabbed her wrist, sliding his gloved hand down to hold hers. "I'm touching you now Chere."

"It's not the same," she said, a tear forming in her eye.

He squeezed down on her hand. "It more den you allow yourself ta have Rogue. Cuttin' yourself off from da world ain't goin' solve not'in'. You have ta make do wit what you got."

She was about to respond when she suddenly pulled her hand out of his and grabbed her head. "What is it Rogue?" he said, concern in his voice, "you okay?"

"Ah, yeah, Professor screamin' in mah head. He just found the Brotherhood on Cerebro and they're heading out to cause some trouble." She jumped off the bed, grabbing her gloves and running out of the room, Gambit hot on her heels.

"What's goin' on? Can I help?"

He reached the elevators to the lower level just as Scott and Jean reached it. Rogue hit the button and the panel slid open.

"Forget it LeBeau," Scott said. "You're not cleared to—"

"_No Scott, I'm asking Gambit and Colossus to assist you despite our reservations,"_ the Professor's voice echoed in all of their heads. _"And those on their way to the dance are returning. We will need all the help we can get if the Brotherhood succeeds in freeing Juggernaut."_


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

The atmosphere in the Blackbird was tense as the X-Men prepared to enter battle. Some were definitely taking it better than others. For Scott and Jean it was a familiar feeling, the anticipation and anxiety before a mission. They were calm and collected. For people like Kurt, Bobby and Kitty, they had to deal with the anxiety as well as the feeling of an evening ruined. Being pulled from the dance was just another reminder that their lives would never be normal. Bobby in particular was nervous about facing the Juggernaut again. He felt confidant they could deal with the lug, but memories of him were always associated with the panic he felt when they first faced him, on the run from the military, the mansion destroyed, Professor X missing, and the world in on the mutant secret at last. He knew that wasn't the case this time around, but that still carried over and always made him a bit squeamish when thinking about facing the Juggernaut. As if sensing this, Kitty placed her hand on his before he could slip his glove on and gave it a squeeze. He looked up to see her give him a smile, which he couldn't help but return. Ruined date or not, it would still be an interesting night.

They were all going through last minute checks of their gear, tugging straps of boots and gloves tight for some, others checking the weapons they would carry into battle, such as Gambit and his staff, Rogue and her throwing discs. They were doing this all while strapped tight in their chairs as the Blackbird soared at maximum altitude and velocity towards the prison known as the Vault. With luck they would get there before the sphere carrying the Brotherhood reached the prison. Their job would be much easier if Juggernaut stayed locked up tight.

One person was not sitting. Logan stood at the front of the plane behind the pilot seats, starring at the team before him as he held onto a set of handholds above him. The plane held the full X-Men roster, with a few of the New Mutants at backup, and the new recruits. He did a quick look-over of them, hoping to get a sense of the team he would be leading into this potential mess. Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat and Rogue all looked tense but prepared, Iceman looked a bit more nervous and the prospect of going against the Juggernaut again. Behind them, Gambit, Colossus and Laura sat calmly waiting for Wolverine to speak. Lastly, Magma, Sunspot and Berserker would make up the majority of the backup team with Beast and Storm, who were flying the plane. Everyone was in full uniform, though Kitty and Amara's hair still bore traces of the elaborate styles they had used for the dance. Laura, Gambit and Colossus hadn't been at the Institute long enough for X-Men uniforms to be made for them, but all three had opted to wear the same utility belts that all the X-Men wore.

"All right, listen up people; we've got an ETA in five. Here's how this is going to go down. The X-Men are going to head to the maximum security wing with me, Gambit and Colossus to head off the Brotherhood, or if they get there first, take them out before they get the Juggernaut free. With any luck, the bastard will stay locked up and we won't have to deal with him. Storm is going to keep a lookout in the sky for any surprises they might be planning. Second team is Beast, Laura and the New Mutants. I want you on the outside, making sure none of the other prisoners get out. There are plenty of human psychos in there and we don't want any of them getting out." He looked at Laura. "Remember, non-lethal." She nodded.

He flexed his arms and shifted his weight a bit as the plane turned. "We're going in blind here as far as who Magneto is throwing at us. Expect the Brotherhood lackeys and both Sabertooth and Pyro, maybe even Buckethead himself. Remember, Magneto's been on a recruiting drive, so we could have plenty of unknowns popping up. If they aren't wearing an X, take 'em down and ask questions later.

"If they get Juggernaut free, we need to take him down quick while he's still weak from the holding gel. Stick with what works and let Jean mind blast him. If he's got that helmet on, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler are on latch duty, while Colossus, Cyclops and I are going to try and hold him. The rest of you are on distraction duty, keep him disorientated.

"You've beaten Juggernaut before, and mopped the floor with the Brotherhood more times then I can remember, but don't get cocky. There's a lot that can go wrong on this one so remember your training and stick to the plan unless everything hits the fan."

By now the plane began to descend to the ground, and Logan turned back to face forward. "What do we have Hank?"

"Prison alarms have gone off, lots of chatter on the radios. It doesn't sound like it is going well for them. I'm picking up a large sphere landed near the maximum security complex. Outer wall has been breeched and onsite Richter scales are off the chart."

"Avalanche." Wolverine growled. "Put us down near the sphere."

The Blackbird came to rest in the prison yard near the large metal sphere. The X-Men filed out of the jet, Wolverine taking the lead as they headed into the wing through a collapsed wall. The secondary team formed a perimeter around the opening, ready for trouble.

The inside of the prison was just as destroyed as the outer wall. A large, circular tunnel made a straight line into the center of the prison. In between various shattered walls were prisoners and guards alike, knocked out by chucks of falling cement and others next to spent knockout gas canisters. "Man, they really tore through here, didn't they?" Iceman said, looking down at two guards and a prisoner slumped in a line against one another, the last against a cracked wall.

"Keep quiet," Wolverine said, sniffing the air and cocking his ears. The only warning he had was the sound of boot leather creaking as he stepped through another opening in the wall. The others saw a large mass tackle him with a roar, and both disappeared down the corridor behind the opening. The could hear the two tumbling and rolling, and then the telltale "SNIKT!" of Wolverine's claws. The rounded the corner to help him when he screamed, "Remember the mission!" as Sabertooth clawed at his face.

"Come on, he can handle this!" Cyclops yelled over the growls and snarls of the two fighters. The others followed his lead, continuing down the path the Brotherhood had made. No other surprises awaited them until they came across a wall that had not been torn down, though cracks in the cement revealing steel underneath certainly showed they had tried. Looking from side to side they found a door that had been opened, a knocked out security guard's hand resting on the edge of the palm reader. "Okay people, this is it," Cyclops said as they went through the open security door. Only a few of them recognized the room they entered, having come here once to free the Professor after Mystique had imprisoned him. The shield holding the tank was still up thankfully, meaning the Brotherhood had yet to free Juggernaut.

The Brotherhood themselves were currently standing around Pietro as he typed at rapid speed on a keyboard near the tank. "Stupid Sage couldn't find the stupid code!"

"Hurry up Quicksilver," Avalanche said, "we only have a few-"

"Nerd alert!" called out Toad as the X-Men entered the room, fanning out and rushing the Brotherhood.

"Everyone stop Quicksilver!" Cyclops yelled as he fired an optic blast at Pietro, but it was deflected by the girth of the Blob as he stepped forward to cover his teammate. Toad leapt out of the way as Avalanche moved to the front of the team and with a stomp of his foot the ground under the X-Men began to shake. Both Iceman and Rogue tried to launch an attack at him, but the thrown ice and disc both went astray as their footing failed.

"I've got him!" cried Kurt. He was about to teleport when a field appeared around him. He saw Wanda with her hand outstretched. He tried to stop himself but it was too late. He teleported out of the room and did not reappear.

"Kurt!" Rogue called out and tried to throw another disc but it went wide as the ground rolled beneath her.

"Give me one," Kitty said to Rogue. She handed her disc as she fell sideways against the metal wall. Kitty phased herself, letting the rolling ground simply pass up into her rather than knock her off balance. She threw the disc at Lance just as she unphased her hand and the metal, and it soared straight at him. With a satisfying crash, it collided and cracked the fishbowl Avalanche wore, throwing him off balance and ending the quake. Kitty rushed forward and connected with an uppercut to his chin before he could recover.

Pulling herself up to her knees, Jean attempted to reach out with her TK and pull Quicksilver away from the control panel, when she found her powers instead threw Cyclops into the wall next to him. His head hit with a sickening thud and he collapsed at the base of the wall. "Oops," she heard from her left, turning to see Wanda with her hand outstretched at Jean. Jean attempted to send a blast her way into Wanda's head and shut her down, but Wanda flicked her other hand and Jean could hear Rogue fall with a scream. "Not your lucky day."

"What did you do to Kurt?" she asked as she tried another TK push, this time at the floor underneath Wanda. Another flick of her write and the blast redirect itself at Jean, pushing her back down onto the ground.

"Don't worry, he's fine, just far far away from here," the Scarlet Witch said. She was about to send another hex bolt at Jean when Avalanche's reeling body flew and hit Wanda, and they both sailed into the corridor outside the room. Shadowcat walked over to Jean and helped her up. "It feels so good to just wail on him after all the crap he put me through!"

"How did you just throw him, he has to have at least an hundred pounds on you."

"Like Logan says, it's all about leverage-" her face went pale as a voice echoed from the corridor.

"Oy go check ahn one thing an' ya start a party without meh? Oi, Wanda, lookin' hot all passed out like that. An' Avahlanche, no messin' around onah mission mite! Magneto's gunnah be angry at ya, randy buggah." Pyro walked into the chamber and saw Kitty standing there. "Ah, pretty Kitty is here. Wanna 'nuthah taste ah Pyro didjah?" he said with a mad cackled, creating a wall of flame that rushed towards the terror struck mutant. Jean created a TK barrier around them that the flames rolled over. "No fair!"

"I'll give you fair you son of a-" a frozen form said as it soared through the flames on an ice slide. The flames began to melt his ice as he came through, but they died as his fast moving fist slammed into the pyrotechnic mutant, breaking his glasses and nose.

"Ya gunna pay for that!" Pyro yelled as he stumbled back. "Oy'm gunna meltcha and call ya Puddleman!" He brought his hands up again but Iceman bent him over with a front kick to the stomach. He grabbed the fuel tank on Pyro's back with both hands and froze the fuel inside as he drove his knee upwards into his sternum.

Elsewhere in the room, Quicksilver's last line of defense was having a tough time. Toad and Blob were trying to keep Gambit and Colossus from reaching the speedster. The metal Russian was wrestling with the Blob, and actually managing to move him some, while Gambit was launching exploding cards at Toad, who thus far had managed to keep Gambit from getting to the other side of Blob, where the Cajun could have a shot at Quicksilver. Every time Gambit thought he would get a clear shot, Toad's tongue would pull his arm out of position.

"Aren't you suppose to be on our side?" Toad yelped as a card singed his foot.

"T'ings change my disgustin' little friend," Gambit said, using his staff to vault himself into a sidekick that almost connected with Toad, who was latched onto the wall. The spry mutant leapt to the floor to dodge. Gambit kicked off the wall, sending another flying sidekick, this time with the other foot, into the back off Toad. The mutant was squashed down into the floor as Gambit pushed off of him and landed in a crouch. He brought his staff around in front of him to hit Toad when he stood, only to be sent flying by the wild backswing of a punch from Blob that had been intended for Colossus. He crashed into the far wall and slumped down dazed next to the collapsed Rogue and Cyclops.

"Hah, take that Cajun! Teach you to mess with the Toad. Totally showed him, I – yaaaaa!" Colossus had maneuvered himself near Toad during his fight and punted the gloating teen into the wall opposite the one Gambit had been sent into.

Toad's cheers were replaced by another's, and the sound of motors and gears. "Got it! Now you X-Geeks are in for a fun time!" Quicksilver yelled, but faltered as he saw the room for the first time since the X-Men had come in. Cyclops, Rogue and Gambit were near one wall, only Gambit seemed to be conscious, pulling himself back to his feet using the wall as a support. Toad was upside down against the opposite wall. Shadowcat, Jean and Iceman were near the door, moving to the center of the room on guard, and behind them he could see Avalanche, Pyro and Wanda out cold in a pile. Blob and Colossus were still in a collar and elbow lock, vying to unbalance the other. "I spend five second on a computer terminal and you knock each other out? Definitely not how this was supposed to go down."

A giant hand with a rust covered gauntlet wrapped around Quicksilver's neck and lifted him off his feet. "I don't think it is."

-------------

Above the complex, Storm flew a circle around the perimeter, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. It appeared that the Brotherhood went straight for Juggernaut, taking out guards and prisoners alike, as no one came out of the gap in the wall. The question was, where were the rest of the guards? A high tech military prison such as the Vault usually had far more soldiers.

And then she saw it, a second metal sphere outside of a different wing of the prison. She touched the earpiece to the headset she was wearing. "Beast, this is Storm. There is a second sphere, near A block."

"That's where they keep the minor threat super powered beings," came Beast's voice over her earpiece. "I'm bringing the team to investigate; it doesn't look like any prisoners are coming out here."

"I will stay to make sure. Be careful Hank."

"Always am Ororo."

-------------

"You," Juggernaut said with a slight shake of Pietro, "once helped Xavier lock me back up here. Why should I let you live now?"

"BecauseMagnetohasanofferforyouandhewon'tbetoohappyifyoukillhisonlyson," Pietro said quickly, his voice strained due to the large fist wrapped around his throat and part of his head.

"Magneto's brat? What does—" he grabbed his head with his free hand and roared in pain.

Jean's eyes were closed in concentration, her hands on her forehead to help her focus. "He's resisting!" she said through clenched teeth.

"That's not all he's doing!" Shadowcat said as she grabbed Jean and Iceman, phasing them both as the control panel for the containment tank flew through them and smashed into the wall. Unfortunately being phased weakened Jean's power and Juggernaut was shaking the last of the pain from his head.

"Where's my helmet?" he asked Pietro, who was still in Juggernaut's hand.

"Overthere!" he said, pointing to the dome shaped helmet lying on the floor on the other side of the tank. Juggernaut dropped him and reached for the helmet, putting it on quickly and latching it as he rushed forward towards the trio.

"Going to squash you flat, you little pukes!" he roared, reaching out to grab the three.

He was intercepted by the lowered shoulder of Colossus, who checked Juggernaut from the side directly through several walls. He turned to the others. "I will do battle with the monster, you must work to help me get his helmet off." They ran around the fallen form of the Blob, who was rolling on the ground clutching his groin.

"You fight dirty Colossus," Iceman said, feeling twinges of pain just thinking about it.

"I did what I had to," said the big man as they chased down the Juggernaut.

-------------

Bullets bounced harmlessly off a wavering shield three feet in front of the mutants walking down the corridor. The soldiers continued to fire as the two mutants flanking the center one simply smiled. As they approached the soldiers, the cloaked one raised his hand and made a fist. The guns the soldiers were holding bent in odd angles, wrapping themselves around the wrists of their wielders, who cried out in surprise and in pain as the hot muzzles were pressed into their skin. Some thought to rush the group anyways in hopes of stopping them, but Bishop and Sage took care of them with quick blasts from their pulse pistols.

With a wave of his hand, Magneto sent the door to the cellblock flying inwards. The group strode purposefully through into the three leveled room. Each level consisted of cells with an energized field sealing the cells, though only three were on at the time. The room was arranged in a circle around the open center area they now stood in. Magneto paused to look around him, a look of disgust on his face at the thought of yet again those he considered his people being caged like animals. He raised his hands slightly from his sides and lifted in the air, coming to rest level with the second tier. He stretched his hands out fully and manipulated the magnetic energy to create an electromagnetic pulse around each door, short circuiting most of the equipment in the cells and shutting down the force fields.

The occupants of two of the cells walked out. The first came from a cell on the third tier. He was a tall, muscular man with pale skin and a heavy jaw. A perpetual snarl on his face, he shook his head to clear out the cobwebs caused by being under the cell's power dampening field, his blond topknot swinging back and forth. He looked at Magneto with shock in his eyes. "You!" he exclaimed in a heavy Russian accent. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to free our brethren from this prison. But I find there are not as many as my intelligence reports would suggest. It is time that mutantkind bands together to fight the oppressions of humanity. I could make use of a soldier such as yourself. Will you join us Omega Red?"

"I have always cared very little for the petty squabbles between humanity and mutants. But they will rue the day they captured Omega Red. I will crush them and take their lifeforce as my own."

"I am not looking for a mindless killer; I need someone who will fight for our cause."

"You have freed me and I will repay my debt to you as long as we have a common enemy.."

A quick whistle came from the doorway. Magneto turned to catch a glimpse of a shadow moving back down the hallway. "We have company. Bishop, assist Revanche. Omega Red, if you truly wish to repay your debt, you will help them. If they are other mutants, X-Men, you will not cause permanent damage. If they are human soldiers I care little what happens to them."

"Very well," he said, leaping from his high vantage to the ground below and stalking out of the cellblock, his carbonadium tentacles beginning to snake out of his wrists.

"He will be a liability," Sage said, stepping out of a cell on the bottom floor. "The Soviets placed him in suspended animation several times because they could not control him, despite his patriotism. You have even less control over him, as Avalon is not his Mother Russia."

"He is an ally of necessity at the moment, until we can find more suitable members. According to your intelligence this cellblock was full should be full. Is she still here?"

"Yes, fortunately she's in here."

Magneto lowered himself back to the ground, speaking as he did so. "Where are the others?"

A voice other than Sage's answered. "They took them, two days ago. Or three, hard to keep track of time."

Magneto turned to the new voice to see a young man of about 18 who looked like he once was a toned athlete but had lost mass while being in prison. He had the stubble of a beard growing on his face, and his dirty blonde hair was a shaggy mess. But despite his disheveled appearance, his sapphire blue eyes were sharp and focused.

"Did you hear where they were taking them?"

"Testing," he said, and jumped as the metal paneling on one of the walls suddenly crushed into the size of a soda can. The look on Magneto's face was pure hatred. "That's all I heard. Don't know for sure why they didn't take me," the boy added almost apologetically.

"They are moving forward sooner than I anticipated," Magneto said, mostly to himself, and he turned back to Sage, who had returned to the cell with the girl. "What condition is the girl in?"

"Neural inhibitors on, but other than that she seems fine. I should be able to disable them."

"Do it." He returned his attention to the boy as Sage resumed her work. "And what of you? You heard what I told the animal Omega Red? Would you stand side by side with me to avenge your fellow mutants and protect our race? Or if you do not feel you are strong enough to fight, would you seek sanctuary on Avalon from those who would destroy mutants?"

"I'm not a mutant."

"But you have power, I can feel it. And they would not have placed you here if you were powerless."

"I have power, but I got it from something my dad did, experiments on me. At least, that's what Xavier said before he kicked me out. Ran away from home, got caught breaking in to a store, but because I've got powers they sent me here."

"What's your name boy?"

"Calvin, Calvin Rankin. But I'll go with you. I might not be a mutant technically but I pretty much am."

"Indeed."

A moan came from the cell Sage had entered and Magneto went over there, Calvin following at the hem of his cape. Sage was kneeling on the floor of the cell with a teenage girl resting her brunette head on her lap. The girl was starting to become frail, but otherwise healthy looking.

Magneto knelt down by her side and took her hand. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, head's killing me."

"It will pass in time, your mind needs to recover from the inhibitors. Can you tell me your name?"

"Cassandra... Cassandra Nova."


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

"Do you remember where you are and why you are here?" Magneto asked Cassandra.

The teen sat up slowly, rubbing her temples before pushing her long brown hair out of her face and looked up at Magneto. She was a beautiful girl, with large gray eyes. She studied him carefully, before she seemed to give up at something. "I'm in the Vault. I came here trying to break out my father."

"Your father?" Magneto asked, raising an eyebrow under his helmet.

"Yeah, Cain Mariko, the Juggernaut. They had some sort of brain scrambler gun they used on me, knocked me out. Next thing I knew I was in this cell with those things on my head, and I couldn't use my powers."

Magneto did not speak for some time, taking in the story he just heard. Finally he spoke again. "Very well child, if my followers are lucky, your father will be free. Your freedom depends on one thing. All I ask in return for releasing you is for your services on Avalon, a sanctuary I have created for mutant kind. You abilities will greatly aid our search for others like us who will need protection."

She again had the look of studious concentration on her face before she said, "Okay, that sounds fair. Can we find my dad?"

"In a moment, you need to rest and regain your strength."

She leaned back down on Sage's lap and closed her eyes. Magneto looked at Sage and his eyes said it all.

"Watch her."

-------------

Laura was walking point down the corridor. Around her were the bodies of soldiers, their arms tied together with their own guns. Behind her, Magma, Berserker and Sunspot looked on in awe and fear of what they saw, while Beast merely looked tense and determined. Laura herself was feeling very tense. She kept getting whiffs of scents that were throwing her off. They were faint when she did pick them up, not as if the scents were old and fading away but more as if somehow the normal smells of the prison were covering them up.

"What is it?" Beast asked as she paused near a door partially ripped off its hinges.

"Someone is here, but I can't tell-" she cut herself off as a shadowy form struck Beast from behind, knocking him forward into the back of Ray's knees. The shadow scrambled up Beast's back, stepped on Ray's chest, and launched itself at Laura, just as she would have been finishing her sentence. She saw a flash of metal amidst the shadow and she extended her claws in a block. The shadow came down and clanged against the top of the two adamantium blades, and Laura could see a faint edge of metal protruding from the swirling smoke of the shadow. She pushed upward with her arm as she swiped underneath with her left hand, claws extended. The pressure on her arm relaxed as the shadow moved backwards.

Laura could see the shadows leave like a curtain parting open, revealing a black clad young woman with purple hair in the finish of a back flip, her katana sweeping in front of her to keep Laura at a distance. She landed with grace and flipped her head up to look at Laura. Her pale violet eyes, the left framed by a red tattoo, were focused solely on Laura.

"Nap time, ninja girl!" Roberto called out, powering up and lunging forward with a punch. The ninja spun as ducked below the haymaker and punched the top of Sunspot's thigh with her left hand. She lifted her elbow into his lowering chin as she swept his bruised leg out from underneath him with her own as she stepped around, coming again to face Laura, who was rushing at her.

The young clone stopped herself as the blade swept low along her stomach, the small slice healing quickly after a spurt of blood. She snarled and punched downward at the blade as it passed, catching the side of it against her fist and between her two claws. With a twist of the wrist she locked the blade and pulled backwards as she unleashed a sidekick with her left leg, pulling the blade free and catching the ninja in the midsection. The purple haired woman stepped backwards, hunching over slightly. She stepped forward again with her left hand up guarding her head, blocking the hook kick Laura tried to follow up with. The clone pulled her leg back, only to throw a third kick with the still raised leg, this time a round house kick to the other side of the ninja's head, her foot claw extending. The ninja stepped forward again, blocking Laura's shin with her shoulder as she stuck with an upward palm strike to her solar plexus

As the two women dueled, Magma was helping Sunspot up, who had reverted to human form. When he stood completely up he wiped his mouth, which was bloody. "She hits hard."

"Serves you right Roberto, rushing in like that. You're strong, not invulnerable!"

"Yeah yeah. Can you blast her?"

"Not without hitting Laura."

"She'd heal."

"Roberto!"

There was a groaning behind them, cutting off further conversation. Ray was helping up a very groggy Beast. "What hit me?"

"Ninja." Roberto said, pointing a thumb back over his shoulder.

"I think I've just about seen everything now. We need to keep going while Laura occupies the ninja. If the metal of this corridor is any indication, we're dealing with Magneto."

"Wow, she's a wild thing, isn't she?" Amara said, watching the fight as Laura let out a scream. The ninja had drawn a pair of daggers and sliced two glancing blows along Laura's cheeks. The wounds were healing, but the smaller girl's rage was growing as she screamed and leaped at the ninja, claws forward.

"And we're supposed to take him on alone?" Ray asked, his voice rising to be heard over the renewed scream from Laura.

"We have no choice," Beast replied as the turned away from the fight again. The ninja had rolled backwards and flipped Laura with a rising leg. The two were now slowly circling towards each other.

"I'll give you a choice, stay here and out of the way," came a deep voice. They turned and saw a dark man with a futuristic pistol drawn at them. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes glared out at them. "Let Magneto finish what he came here to do, and then we can all be home before bedtime."

With lightening fast reflexes, Berserker's hand rose and a bolt of electricity shot out at the newcomer. Something in the pistol overloaded, causing a small explosion that sent the man falling backwards, electricity still flowing through his body. Magma and Sunspot stepped forward to cover the still groggy Beast, Sunspot favoring the leg the ninja had punched.

"Big mistake," the man said as he stood. His eyes glowed yellow for a second and a beam of golden energy shot from his hand back at Ray, who was sent flying back into the corridor wall. "Who's next?"

Magma sent a pair of fireballs at him, which he caught. They watched as the flames went out as they seemed to be pulled into his hands. "I absorb energy, any other bright ideas?"

"I've got one!" Roberto said, for the second time that night leaping at someone. This time proved better as the man was not as fast as the ninja, and Sunspot landed a punch to his jaw. He landed a second as Beast, fighting through the throbbing in the back of his head, joined the New Mutant in the assault.

They had the man reeling until a long, metal tentacle grabbed Beast and threw him into the wall. His head hit the wall, and combined with the earlier blow he was out cold. A second tentacle wrapper around Roberto's waist and lifted him in the air. He felt his strength quickly siphoning away. "The energy you have makes your life force delicious," came the voice from the shadows of the doorway. A man Roberto had seen in a report about Wolverine's capture by Hydra stepped forward.

"Omega," the black man said, wiping a spot of blood off his lip. "No permanent damage."

"I recall Magneto's orders Bishop. It is merely a taste." His tentacles retracted from Roberto, but continued to twitch in the air. Roberto fell to the floor in a heap. He was then knocked backwards by a fireball from Magma, but Bishop intercepted the next one, absorbing its energy. He fired another golden beam, taking Magma out of the fight.

Bishop turned back to Omega Red, but found the Russian's attention focused on the fight between Revanche and Laura. He let out a cry of anger. "I will not follow his orders when it comes to her, she who is responsible for my imprisonment!" He knocked Bishop to the ground with one tentacle, the other grabbing the wrist of Revanche as she came into his range. It yanked hard as it retracted, throwing her aside. He shot both back out and wrapped them tightly around Laura's body. "Your life is forfeit X-23!"

-------------

Elsewhere in the prison a second battle raged. Colossus had been in the lead as he, Shadowcat, Jean and Iceman had pursued the Juggernaut through the walls Colossus had sent him flying through. After passing through the fourth wall, he was greeted by a rust colored gauntlet slamming into his chrome colored chin, knocking him back into the wall and widening the gap.

"What's the matter Tin Man, glass jaw? I should have known-" he was cut off as Colossus lifted both fists in an upward hammer blow to the leaning Juggernaut's helmet. The bigger man staggered back and then tripped outright as Jean pulled his feet out from under him with her mind.

"Bobby, freeze him!" she cried out. Iceman ran forward through the hole, ice beams flowing from his wrist and encasing the Juggernaut's body in ice. When the man was fully encased he ran forward and placed his hands on the ice block, focusing all his energy on dropping the temperature of the ice even further.

While Iceman was focused on containing the Juggernaut, Shadowcat phased through the ice, pulling a latch on the helmet into a phased state and unhooking it. She had just finished with the second one when the ice shuddered. She was moving to phase Bobby, whose icy brow was furled in concentration, when the ice cracked as Juggernaut threw his arms out sideways. His left fist collided with Bobby and sent the mutant spinning as he screamed out in pain.

Colossus immediately jumped on the cracking ice, pinning the rising mutant to the ground and he send his fist slamming down through the ice and into the big man's helmet. It lifted slightly with the two latches undone, but remained on his head. Colossus sent a second blow through the ice. "Shadowcat!" he called out to Kitty, who was rushing towards Bobby. "You must finish with the helmet!" Kitty looked franticly at Bobby, who crying in pain and clutching his shoulder.

"Go!" he managed to get out.

She turned to get the rest of the latches. Colossus was sending a third punch when Juggernaut's hand lifted and he palmed Colossus's head. Pushing on the ground with his other hand, he broke free of the remaining ice and lifted Colossus, who attempted to kick at the rising giant. Juggernaut, now standing, grabbed one of the metal Russian's legs and with a swing threw him upwards threw the ceiling and through several more above that. With a grimace he closed the two open latches and felt something hit his back. Turning, he saw that Jean was lifting shards of the ice and sending them flying at the Juggernaut. He batted the ice out of his way with his hand as he walked towards her.

One of the latches on the back came undone and he spun to see Kitty ducking out of the way in back in front of him. He reached to grab her, his hand passing right through her, and a sharp pain shot through his eye. Jean had taken the distraction to focus on a single shard and send it into his eye when she had an opening. It didn't damage the invulnerable eye, but it had caused a great deal of pain, something he wasn't used to. He slapped his hand to his face, only to find it blocked by helmet. "You little bitch, going to tear you apart for that."

The ice resumed its pelting, followed by pieces of concrete. In his non-stinging eye he could see Shadowcat circling him again. She reached up and grabbed another latch, and he brought his hand down on hers. For a moment he had contact, but she soon rephased her hand and slipped away..

He turned back to go after Jean again when he saw a blur and she collapsed to the ground next to a grinning Quicksilver, who was blowing on his clenched fist like the barrel of a gun. "Come on Big Man, word from Magneto. He's got your daughter free and he's ready to move."

"Cassie?"

"That's right. Now let's go."

"Oh no you don't!" Kitty said, blocking the opening in the wall. "I'm not letting you get away. I've played nice but now I start phasing off bits of you Juggernaut."

Quicksilver was suddenly next to her. "Oh, I bet you let us go Kitty, you've got bigger things to worry about."

He appeared next to Bobby and kicked him hard in the shoulder he was cradling. He let out a long scream that died away as he started to lose consciousness. "Ew, that felt way too squishy. I'd help him if I were you. Let's go Big Man, Blob needs your help carrying everyone."

Kitty ran to Bobby's side as the two others left. She could see right away his shoulder was dislocated. She gripped it hand braced herself. "This is going to hurt Bobby, be glad you're out cold." She yanked and the shoulder popped back into place. He screamed out again, but shorter as his head rolled back into unconsciousness. Satisfied she had done all she could do for the time being, she chased after the other two.

She made her way back to the room with Juggernaut's holding tank to find the room empty of the Brotherhood members. The rest of the X-Men lay unconscious. She continued out of the room, back through the long series of gaps the Brotherhood had made. She had made it through two when she saw Logan leaning against a wall, covered in blood.

"Logan!" she called out, stopping mid stride and going to him.

"Don't worry Half-Pint, more his than mine. Coward took off eventually. Where's everyone else?"

"Out cold, the Brotherhood's escaping with Juggernaut; they're all meeting Magneto somewhere, sounds like he was breaking out Juggernaut's daughter."

"Let's go! Secondary isn't going to hold against all of them."

As they ran down the corridor Wolverine mused out loud. "Didn't know Juggs had a kid."

-------------

"Just like Wolverine, I can't tell if it's the way your healing factor attempts to recharge your life, or if it is simply the taste of revenge that makes it so sweet."

Laura struggled again in the tentacles. "I'm not giving up, monster!"

Omega Red simply chuckled and pulling his tentacles back a bit brought her closer to stare directly in her face. "You don't have to give up, I prefer if you fight."

"Fine!" she yelled and swung both her feet forward, stabbing him in the stomach with her foot claws. He howled in pain and the tentacles loosened. She slipped down out of them and slashed at them with her claws. She could see she made scratches in the weaker metal, but it was still strong enough to withstand adamantium blades. She rolled backwards away from him.

He laughed through the pain. "Even out of my grasps my Death Field works on you and your comrades, healing me and killing you. You will pay for all that you have done to me."

Ignoring his banter, she dodged the tentacles flying at her with a foot claw assisted sprint up the wall she was near. Launching herself, she flew at him with four claws, slashing along his right side as he attempted to move out of the way. She landed in a roll and turned to counter the inevitable retaliation, but found something odd. His tentacles wrapped around his own throat. She rushed forward to attack him, but her hand was pulled suddenly back. She flew into the wall, her hands pinned against her chest and her feet forced together. She could feel something pulling on her claws. Scrap metal from the jail walls flew at her and wrapped around her chest and legs, meeting up with rebar that dug its way out of the cement and locking her firmly to the wall.

Magneto floated into the section of corridor a foot off the ground, his hand outstretched. As the last of the metal wrapped around Laura he put his hand down and folded his arms across his chest. She could see nothing of his face beneath the helmet he wore, but she could feel the anger pouring from it. Walking behind him was a raven haired woman, a brunette girl about Jean's age, and a blond hair kid who looked about Bobby's. At Magneto's side was the purple haired ninja, Revanche. She pointed at Omega Red and made some hand gestures as the raven haired woman went to check on Bishop.

"You have failed me," he said simply in a booming voice as Omega Red rose into the air and was rotated to face Magneto. "I told you not to do permanent harm and yet you attempt to kill X-23, stealing the life of the others in this room to accomplish it. Unacceptable."

"I would not be denied my revenge!" the Russian choked out.

"You have no place in our Brotherhood. You are not evolved, you are merely an animal."

"What would you do with me? You would leave a mutant in the hands of humans?"

Magneto's hand rose again, and more metal wrapped itself around Omega Red. "No, I leave a maniac who deserves to be imprisoned." With a slight gesture, the metal encased Omega Red was sent soaring back down the corridor to the cell he was released from.

Magneto turned to Laura. "I'm sorry for the state I have placed you in X-23."

"My name is Laura!" she cut him off.

He came forward a bit and she could see his face. He did not have anger in his eyes towards her, and his mouth was even turned up in a slight smile. "Very well Laura Logan, as you no doubt will pick as a surname. But you are there to assure that my associates are unharmed as we depart. When we are safely away you will be released to ensure the wrong people do not find you. I ask you again to reconsider joining us on Avalon. Revanche vouches that you are superb fighter who would greatly aid us in protecting the weaker mutants humanity will attempt to prey on."

Laura looked over at Revanche, whose cold eyes showed no emotion one way or another towards the younger girl. She merely nodded slightly to Laura.

"The X-Men are going to stop whatever you're planning and I'll be there to help them," she said, returning her gaze to Magneto.

He raised his head slightly. "I'm sure you do not understand all that is occurring. You will always be welcome whenever you come to see the truth." He turned from her and his entourage followed, the woman helping Bishop along in the rear.

She was not looking forward to explaining all this to Logan.

-------------

Outside, Juggernaut was being struck by lightening.

"Ohh, that tickles. Give me some more, hot stuff."

"Foul beast!" Storm cried at him, picking up the wind and sending another bolt down at the laughing giant.

"You're real cute when you're angry!" He picked up some of the concrete he had been throwing at her and threw another piece at her.

"Wouldyoustopplayingaroundandgetinheresowecangetoutofhere!" Pietro yelled at him from the opening of the metal sphere.

"Calm down Speedy, she ain't going to do anything to me." The ground underneath him exploded with from the biggest bolt yet, lying him flat out on his back. He sat up, shook his head and laughed a bit. "You wanna play rough, okay!" He picked up a steel panel that had fallen loose from the inside of the wall and sent it flying up at her.

The slab spun through the air like a Frisbee until it slowed down and hovered in the air. It slid into place right below Storm, whose eyes had returned to normal color before rolling back in her head. She collapsed onto the metal and it floated gently to the ground. Juggernaut looked over and recognized two people some distance away with their hands outstretched. One was Magneto in his red and black armor, the other was a teenage girl with long brown hair.

"Cassie!" he called out and ran to her. The girl looked at him and let out a small yell and ran to meet him. They embraced in a hug and he lifted her with ease high above his head.

"Dad, stop calling me that! I like Cassandra."

"I can't believe you tried to break me out of prison."

"Yeah, well what else was I supposed to do?"

"While I am glad to see you reunited, but we need to leave before the X-Men regroup," Magneto said. "I say to you the same thing that I offer to Omega Red, who rejected the deal by his actions. We are forming to protect mutant kind. Will you stand with us and forgo your own selfish desires?"

"If it keeps me from being locked back up in that damn tank, then yeah, I'm with you."

"Then let us depart for Avalon."

The mutants filed into the two spheres, which sealed themselves and flew into the night just as Kitty and Wolverine immerged from the prison.

"Damnit, they got away! Where the hell is everyone?"

"Look, Storm!" Kitty said, pointing at Storm's collapsed body. They ran to her and found her slowly coming to.

Another figure appeared in the yard. Laura ran out and waved her hand. "Logan! We have wounded!"

"Us too kid!" He turned back to help Storm up off the ground. "Charles isn't going to be too happy about this."


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

"Juggernaut went with Magneto, along with two others, not sure who, guy and a girl, teenagers by the look of 'em, or so 'Ro says. She didn't get a good look before the girl took her out. Yeah, telepath."

Wolverine was standing in the cockpit of the Blackbird, headset pressed to his ear as he talked to Xavier. Through the window he could see Berserker, Magma and Beast walking out of the second cell block, Beast carrying and unconscious Sunspot. All three of them were moving slowly, obviously nursing wounds. Outside the maximum security wing, Laura, Gambit and Colossus were helping the others out after Colossus had jumped down from the roof where he landed when Juggernaut threw him. Most of the other X-Men had various cuts and bruises, Rogue loudly demanding an aspirin and something about strangling Wanda. The only three he did not see were Bobby, who was by far the worse injured in the attack, Jean who had begun lifting him gently with telekinesis after she came too, and Kitty, who had immediately gone back to his side after the threat of the Brotherhood was gone and was currently phasing any debris in the way to make it easier to navigate him out.

"No, Laura says Magneto locked Red back up," Logan continued, "apparently Mags didn't want any mutants hurt too badly and he was trying to go to town on Laura. No, she's fine, healing factor kicked into overdrive after he let go. I'm not going to lie Charles, even with Red still here this is pretty bad. The team isn't going to take it well. They dropped the ball pretty bad."

On the horizon, rising over the mountain and sweeping down into the valley was a squadron of Blackhawk helicopters. Logan frowned. "I gotta go Charles, looks like the cavalry finally arrived. I'll see if I can find out who our mystery prisoners are." He put the headset down and walked down the ramp to stand out in the open in front of the plane. As the helicopters made a tight circle around the complex, some landing and soldiers fanning out, Laura walked up to stand next to Logan. "Don't worry kid, they're S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury's not going to break his word this early."

She merely nodded and went back to helping Ray and Amara. Logan stood where he was, watching the lead copter finish its circling and land in front of him. The door opened and Fury walked out after two fully armed soldiers, the blond haired aide behind him. "I land, you're standing there waiting for me, covered in blood, and everything around you is destroyed. Like old times, huh Logan?"

"Yeah, little too much for comfort Nick."

"What the hell happened here? We loose contact with the Vault and I can't get a team scrambled because of a communication problem at HQ."

"Magneto. Sent in some goons and broke out two teens and Juggernaut. The X-Men tried to stop him, his team got lucky."

"He left Omega Red?"

"He was going to take him, near as we can tell, but Red pissed him off somehow and now he's back in his cage. Who were the other two?"

Fury was looking distractedly at the prison, and it took him a minute to answer. "The boy is Calvin Rankin, he was going by the name Mimic before we could ID him. In for petty crimes; we were holding him here because we weren't sure if he could escape a normal cell. He was a kid Xavier turned away, something about not being a mutant."

"Not how I remember it, kid ran away before Xavier could explain everything."

"Anyway, kid's only been here a week. Was going to offer him a job but never got a chance to get out here. The other, the girl, is Cassandra Nova. She claims to be Marko's daughter, but we can't find any record of it. We caught her right about where you're standing, coming here to break out her old man. She's a telepath, pretty powerful as far as we can tell. Both of them and Juggernaut went with Magneto?"

"Yeah."

Fury turned back to Logan, a frown on his face. "I don't think you realize how bad this is."

"Juggernaut's not easy to take down, especially if he's hiding out with Magneto. But we've brought him in before and we'll do it again."

"Juggernaut is the last thing I'm worried about Logan."

Fury's aide had wandered off and was listening to a headset. "General, sir, reports coming in, preliminaries state no other prisoners escaped, and we haven't found any casualties. Green team is currently assisting some of Xavier's people move out one of their injured."

"Take him to the medical chopper, I want him treated."

Logan stepped up to Fury, the top of his head only coming to the man's chin, but he looked up at him with a snarl. "You're not taking one of ours anywhere bub!"

Fury looked down at Logan, his eye studying the short man. "I'll give him back Logan. He got hurt defending one of my bases and I want our medics to look at him." He turned away from the mutant to stare once again at the Vault, watching as his soldiers swept the grounds and weaved in and out of various holes in the building.

Logan stepped beside him to watch as well, his arms folded across his chest. He glanced sideways at Fury. "You said I didn't realize, so enlighten me."

Fury let out a snort, then a sigh. "You know better than anyone Logan, that there are plenty of dark corners where the government has their pet projects hidden, things so buried even I don't know about them all. And there are plenty of people with their own agendas who are just looking for an excuse to let a few of them out. There were plenty calling for the heads of all mutants after Apocalypse, but I managed to smooth a lot of that over by pointing out it was you guys who got the job done in stopping him. I can probably keep this contained too, since this is a pretty top secret facility. But if Magneto moves to a more public target, I'm not going to be able to stop some of these people, high ranking people I might add, from declaring all out war."

"People aren't going to stand for that. That's genocide!"

"They'll spin it. They'll cover it up, use terms like 'war on genetic terrorism' or something like that. They'll say they're bring in suspected mutants and leaving others alone, but they'll round you all up and lock you away somewhere if they don't put a bullet in your head right away. And people won't care, they're just going to look the other way and silently be glad the mutant problem is over." He turned to look at Logan. "Believe me when I say I'm doing everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen. But if Magneto keeps stirring things up, my hands will be tied. Now I know you, and I know Xavier, so I know you'll be looking to take down Magneto, but that might not be the best things you could do right now."

"You just got done telling me he needs to be stopped, and now you're telling us not to do it?"

Fury waved his hand towards the prison. "You made this place your personal battleground. Imagine if this had been some sort of public place. Mutants waging war with each other is just as good as mutants waging war on humans. Phones would come off the hook and a mess of trouble would be knocking down your door."

"If you think we're just going to sit by and do nothing-"

"I don't expect you will. But I need to be kept in the loop. It's a lot easier for me to get you S.H.I.E.L.D. protection and sanctioning if I know what's going on! I'm on your side in this Logan. I know you aren't all monsters whose powers have gone to their heads. But there are too many people who do. Fighting private wars isn't going to help that opinion. At least if we're working together we have a chance of deflecting some of this. Just pass it on to Xavier. Hopefully he'll understand what I mean."

"I know what you mean Nick, and it's nice to know you're looking out for us. But don't you dare think about using this as an excuse to get us under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control. We work together to stop Magneto, but that's it."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said with a slick grin.

-------------

Morale at the mansion the next few days was low. As it was the weekend and they didn't have class, most of the Institute could be found lounging about the mansion, dour looks on their faces. Even Kurt, who was found lost but uninjured in a small wood thirty miles away from the Vault, was feeling the disappointment of not only losing to the Brotherhood, but losing badly. They found some solace that no one was seriously injured. Bobby had several broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and some internal bleeding that was quickly fixed by S.H.I.E.L.D. surgeons, and Roberto was still weak from Omega Red's death field, but both were recovering. By Monday morning the only two still in the medical ward were Bobby, still sleeping peacefully with the aide of sedatives, and Kitty, who had stayed by his side most of the time. She was eventually pried away by Logan, who told her to go take a shower and get to school.

The majority of the team continued to suffer more from bruised egos then bodies, though many were still taking aspirin for various aches. Scott was taking it worse than anyone. He and Jean were sitting on a bench on campus as they waited for their afternoon class to begin, Jean reading over some notes while lying down with her head resting on his lap as he sat brooding.

"It's my fault," he said suddenly.

"Fifteen," she said in a distracted voice, flipping back a few pages to recheck a figure.

"What?"

She looked up from her notes, leaning her head back to stare up at him, a slight smile on her face. "That's fifteen times now, at least that I've heard out loud, that you've blamed yourself. You need to let it go."

"How can I let it go? It's my responsibility, I'm the leader, and it's my job to get us in, do our job, and get us home safely. Logan warned us not to be overconfident and we rushed in there thinking this was just another time we would wipe the floor with the Brotherhood. And now Juggernaut, his daughter, and Rankin are with Magneto. We had a chance to stop them and I failed."

"Scott," she said, sitting up and turning towards him. "You're not Superman. You don't always win and when we don't it's not your fault. We all were pretty sure of ourselves back there and it fell apart around us. I mean, Pietro took me down, and I'm one of the few people who can stop him in his tracks."

"I'm going to blast his head off for that!" Scott said with clenched teeth.

"Take a number, I get the first shot," she said, poking a finger in his chest. She changed her poking finger to a caress on his cheek. "We all messed up Scott, don't keep blaming yourself. It's not the end of the world that we lost; we'll just get them next time."

He turned his head slightly and kissed her palm as he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the lips. At some point her broke off and said simply, "Thank you."

She smiled and kissed him again before turning away and laying back down against his lap. "You're welcome, now I need to study for this test." She retrieved her notes and returned to studying. They were quiet for about a minute before she jabbed backwards with her elbow into his thigh.

"Oww! What was that-"

"You're still thinking about it."

-------------

Laura sat in her room reading through a history textbook. It was her third one since coming to the mansion, and like the previous two she was absorbing the information remarkably well. Mr. McCoy had suggested she might have a photographic memory. Whether or not that was true he hadn't yet fully tested, but even if she did have one it did not help her at all when it came to math. While she was excelling at history and science (anatomy in particular, but Hank didn't like to think how most of that knowledge probably came from know where best to attack someone), math seemed to physically hurt her as she tried to figure out algebra. She frowned at the thought of math and its numbers, returning to the account of the Underground Railroad she was reading.

She was discovering that reading was keeping her mind off of most everything. She was never allowed to read anything other than mission reports while in Hydra, and even if this textbook was supposed to be for studying she found it kept her mind of both her time at Hydra and the failed mission. She was satisfied that she had done everything she could have done, but was still moderately angry that she had failed and Magneto had succeeded. She was very angry that he again had tried to recruit her to his cause.

There was a knock on her door, followed by Tabitha and Amara walking into the room. Tabitha had a pair of sunglasses pushed up on her brow that held her blonde locks out of her eyes while Amara had her hair done into several elaborate braids on the side of her head. Both girls were wearing clothes as if they were going out. "Hey Wild Thing, whatcha doing?" Tabby said as sat on the clone's bed, Amara joining her.

"Wild Thing?"

"Yeah," Amara said, "something us New Mutants took to calling you after we watched you fight that ninja. You were awesome, never seen anyone fight like that, even Wolverine."

"I'm pretty sure Ray's crushing on you," Tabitha added, "he keeps humming the song."

"Crush?"

Amara just grinned at her. "Don't worry, we'll get you caught up on all the proper slang while we're at the mall."

"Why would we go to the mall?"

"Why not?" they both asked. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Besides," Amara said, "you need to get some clothes that don't have an X on them."

Laura looked down at the black t-shirt with the red X on her left breast, and the matching gray sweatpants. "Clothes are clothes."

The girls on the bed looked at her with a shocked look on her face, then at each other with shared disbelief. "We should stop by Kitty and Dani's room and get them to come," Amara said, "we're going to need more help."

Tabby stood. "Girl, clothes help make you who you are, help express yourself, help entice tall, metal Russians if I'm reading your looks right. Plus we need to get you some decorations for this room. Even Piotr and Remy have stuff already and they've been here an even shorter time than you have!"

"And the Professor is paying for everything you want to buy," Amara added, "you don't just pass that up!"

"Fine," Laura said, giving up. "I'll go buy new clothes with you if it will get you to leave me alone."

Tabitha grinned and wrapped her arm around her. "Don't worry. Someday you're going to look back on this and laugh at yourself. You'll thank us."

-------------

It was a large, windowless room with high-backed chairs set up auditorium style facing a dais and several display screens. Other than that the room appeared to be plain, but this was not the case. Under the plaster of the walls were six inch thick steel plates, neural disruptors, and a variety of security devices designed to keep out those who were not invited. It was one of two rooms on Avalon with defenses designed this way, the second being Magneto's chambers.

The Master of Magnetism stood on the dais, once again without armor, overlooking those gathered here. In the chairs turned towards him his children, Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver, in the front row, Sage and Bishop to Quicksilver's right and the new boy, Mimic, along with Revanche to Wanda's left. Behind them in one of several specially designed chairs sat Juggernaut, with Cassandra sitting in a chair to his right and to his left sat Sabertooth. Farther down that row, Pyro sat playing with what looked like a small ball with wings, all made of fire. Mastermind sat near him, but kept his distance in fear of being burned. Lastly, Toad, Blob and Avalanche sat off to one side, Blob in a chair similar to Juggernaut's.

"Today, my brothers and sisters," Magneto began, "we enter a new era for Mutantkind, one where the doors of Avalon are fully opened and we begin to bring mutants from around the world here where they can be who they are, learn what limits they are capable of, and grow as one without fear of the outside world, without rejection by those they once called friends and family, without the oppression that humanity would press upon them. Already there are those we have invited to seek refuge here, but today, today my friends, Mutantkind joins together in Brotherhood, united as a people like never before. Today all are welcomed as citizens of Avalon. Today we begin to call our brothers and sisters home.

"And we," he said with open arms to those in the room, "are their stewards, their guardians against humanity, who being a cowardly lot, will continue their attempts to control, if not outright annihilate us because they fear us, our superiority, our right to this world. We here in this room are Mutantkind's shield, and when the time is right, its sword. Like our Brotherhood as a whole, our numbers in this room will grow as more who have to ability to fight join us. We Acolytes of Mutantkind will be those who fight for the members of our Brotherhood whose powers do not help defend themselves, whose powers can help change the world for the better, yet would be snuffed out by the humans in power who seek to destroy us simply for being different.

"Once, long ago, I watched as those I had called my people were ruthlessly murdered simply for being born what they were. I will not allow that to happen again to a people I call my own. I will not have others to gain similar horrific memories. I have asked you to stand with me, and you have agreed. I thank you," he said with a bow of his head towards them, "with all my heart."

He lifted his head and looked at Cassandra. "It is time to find our brethren. If you would take you place in Cerebra, we can begin our mission." He shifted his gaze to the other. "The rest of us will be prepared to begin bringing them back here safely. And we all need to prepare, for soon we have one last confrontation with Charles Xavier."

-------------

Kitty was in her room late that afternoon pacing. Back and forth across the room, ignoring her homework, passing up a chance to go to the mall and decide the fashion future of Laura, pacing back and forth instead. She had gotten back from school an half hour ago and had immediately ventured to the medical wing to see Bobby, but Mr. McCoy had turned her away, telling her to get some rest herself or catch up on her homework. Bobby couldn't have visitors at the moment. She had yelled, until he told her yelling outside the ward would be just as disturbing, and so she stormed away, back to her room, where now she had a perfect pattern of steps laid out in the thick carpet.

She didn't like being away from him. She felt terrible that she had left his side back in the Vault. As she walked from the door side of the room to the window she kept reminding herself that she had done everything she could have and had left to go after Juggernaut and Quicksilver, the two people responsible for his pain. She couldn't have helped stop Bobby's bleeding, she didn't even know about it. He was out cold and didn't feel any pain. As she walked back from the window to the door, she kept thinking that since she never stopped them or even caught up with them again after she left, maybe she should have just stayed, and somehow offered him support. Coupled with the fact that she had been forced from his bedside this morning, and stopped from returning after she came back, Kitty's mind was a tumultuous place at the moment.

She was three steps from reaching the window when a voice broke the silence behind her. "You realize that, at least for you, there are quicker ways to get through the floor then wearing it down, right?" She quickly spun around, and there was Bobby standing in the door way looking perfectly fine a blue Xavier shirt and cargo pants. The only sign of his injury was the sling his hurt right arm rested in. Kitty ran to him, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his the crook of his neck. He put his left arm around her.

She squeezed him close. "You're okay!"

"Sorta, not very crushable right now Kit."

She pulled back like she had burned herself. "Oh jeez, I'm sorry Bobby, I wasn't thinking. You want to sit down? Are you even supposed to be up?"

"No, no sitting. Been in a bed too long, I was seeing if you wanted to go for a walk."

"Yeah, let me throw on some shoes." She went to closet while he kept talking.

"And yes, I can be up. Beast told me I was free to go as long as I take it easy. He said you came by earlier to see me. I was actually up then but had just gotten into the shower, so, you know-" his mind started to go a little fuzzy as she bent over with her back to him, digging through a pile of shoes.

She looked over her shoulder with an evil grin. "Too bad Beast was running interference, huh?"

"Well, uh..."

She pulled out a pair of sandals, slipping them on her feet as she went back to the very red Bobby. She gently put a hand on his chest. "Breathe."

He dramatically let out a breath and she laughed a bit. He started to laugh too, but stopped with a very loud wince. "Ow. My right side is going to be one giant bruise for a while."

She hooked her arm through his left and led him out of the room and they headed down the hall. "Want to stop by the kitchen? I could get you some-" she stopped dead in her tracks, turning just as red as he had been moments before. She closed her eyes and grinned.

"Ice?" he finished. "No, I think I have that covered, thanks though."

"Shut up," she said still grinning, and they walked down the atrium stairs to the grounds. "Did you talk to your parents?"

"Yeah, right before the shower. Figured I shouldn't lie about this so I told them everything that happened."

"How did they take it? They were always pretty cool before, letting you stay here after Magneto outted us."

"I've always managed to keep them reassured that I knew what I was getting myself into and that we trained enough that we could handle it. They've always been worried, my mom especially, but now? Saying they're freaking out just doesn't cut it.."

For the second time in the walk she stopped them. "They're not pulling you out of the Institute, are they?"

"No, but they are driving up tomorrow for a very long talk with me and the Professor. I almost regret not being able to sit through a boring science lecture tomorrow."

She frowned. "What if they change their minds?"

He looked down at her with a reassuring smile. "I'm not going anywhere. This is where I want to be. As soon as I'm better I'm healed up I'm putting that uniform back on. It's what I want to do. If they want to try to pull me out of here, I'll, I dunno, freeze the car, claim my powers are out of control and that I need Xavier's help."

She smiled at this and they continued their walk, not saying anything else but just enjoying each other's company. The eventually came to the cliffside and they sat on the edge of the marble gazebo, staring out at the water. The sun was going down behind them and the first stars of the evening were coming out. Kitty leaned her head against his good shoulder. "It's nice out here."

"Beautiful night," he agreed. "So, I'm sorry we didn't get to go to the dance, I was looking forward to it, and I know how much you wanted to go."

"Yeah, I was looking forward to it too. We can just go do something else though."

"You still want to go out with me?"

"Why wouldn't I? I did agree to go to the dance with you, and it's not like I didn't have other guys asking me."

"I know, but-"

"I kinda hate puberty. Your boobs grow a little bit more and suddenly guys are crawling out of every little crack looking to go out with you."

"For the record, that's not why I asked you out."

She slipped her hand into his. "I know, one of the many reasons I said yes. I guess lately I've really seen what a great guy you are. We never really talked before, but when Evan left and you sort of took over, it was nice to get to know you. You really have been there for me, especially when that whole Lance thing blew up in my face."

He squeezed her hand. "I know. You're just this amazing girl Kitty, smart and funny, and one of the nicest persons I've ever met. He's an idiot for ever hurting you."

"Why are we talking about Lance? Talk more about me," she said with a smile.

"You brought him up."

"Ugh."

"I'll make it up to you."

"And how do you plan on doing that."

He turned towards her, slipping his hand out of hers and gently cupped the side of her face. Leaning forward, Bobby brought his lips down to Kitty's. It was a slow kiss to start, taking her a moment to register what was happening before she returned it, wrapping her arms carefully around him. It remained a slow and sensual kiss as each explored soaked up the feeling of the others lips for the first time.

With a slight nip at his lower lip, she pulled away from him, eyes still closed and her face glowing in a smile. "Very, very good answer."

Their lips came together again with increased passion, making their second kiss just as memorable as their first.


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

The news that Bobby and Kitty had finally become an official couple after a few months of dodging the issue was just what those at the Institute needed to cheer themselves up after their loss to the Brotherhood. Amara, Tabitha, Dani and Laura were the first to see the new couple walking back to the mansion hand in hand as the larger group returned from the mall. When Dani glanced over and saw the two holding hands she let out a scream, dropped her bags and ran to throw her arms around them. Amara and Tabitha were soon joining them, leaving Laura standing confused at the whole scene. After a moment she decided she didn't really care and walked back into the mansion, passing Kurt and Alex who had stuck their heads out the door to see what the commotion was. They rushed over and joined the girls in congratulating the two, though they were much gentler on the still wincing Bobby then the ecstatic girls had been.

Bobby and Kitty eventually moved the crowd back into the Rec Room of the mansion, where others came in to see the new couple. Scott shook Bobby's hand with a grin while Jean hugged Kitty. Even Rogue gave a careful hug to Kitty, finding herself surprised that she was more happy for the girl she secretly considered a sister than depressed at the thought that she would never have someone the way Kitty now had Bobby. The rest of the New Mutants came into the room to join in the impromptu celebration, and Tabitha jumped up on the couch to announce the winner of the betting pool was Sam, who joined her on the couch and began to give a speech thanking all those who lost and explaining how he had picked the day the two would finally make things official.

Logan was leaning on the doorframe watching the scene with an amused smirk when Laura walked through and leaned on the opposite side of the door. "I don't understand what is going on," she said, a small frown on her face.

Logan chuckled a bit to himself. "I don't really get it myself, it's not like they're getting married or something. But it's a big deal to them so let them celebrate. It gets their minds off the beating they just took."

"We should be focusing on that. Training more, preparing for next time so we don't lose again, not worrying about other people's relationships or shopping."

Logan chuckled a bit, a low guttural half laugh. "Heard about that, how did that go?"

She shrugged. "I bought clothes, they talked non stop. It could have been worse."

"I'm surprised it wasn't with those girls dragging you around. And don't worry, we will be training harder. They're going to hate me even more then they do now when I'm done with them this week. But they can't keep dwelling too much on it. Something you'll learn kid. You need to learn from the past to make sure you don't keep making the same mistakes, sure, but you also need to move on from the past too. Keep your mind there too long, you're not going to make it. And on top of that, this gives them one more thing to keep fighting for." With a sniff he moved out of the way and the Professor came into the room, his wheelchair softly whirling.

The party soon broke up as the others left to finish homework for the next day, and the Professor took Bobby and Kitty to his office, where he gave them a speech on proper conduct he expected from them now that they were each dating someone living under the same roof. It was a speech he had thus far only had to give to Scott and Jean, though one he had prepared long before opening the door to students, and mostly consisted of acting responsibly and respecting curfews. Both agreed, picking up the unspoken warning of having to deal with an angry Logan if he started smelling scents in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Meanwhile, as the two mutants left with the Professor, and the others dispersed, Rogue watched them with a mix of happiness and longing, sitting down with a huff on a couch and pulling her book back out.

"Dey make a cute couple, non?" came a smooth voice from one of the doors. Leaning where Logan had stood earlier was Remy in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He was playing with a deck of cards in his hands.

"Ah'm happy for them."

"To be young an' in love, it is a beautiful feelin'."

"Wouldn't know."

"I doubt dat Chere. Even an' ice queen like you feel love sometime."

"Ah think you have meh confused with Jean," she let out a quick laugh, "or Kitty now, if ya think about it. Ah thought Ah was the Queen of Hearts?" Her momentary smirk turned to a frown. "But Ah don't feel much of anything, ya know that. Ah can't touch..."

Remy cut her off with a laugh. "Love ain't 'bout touching Rogue."

She decided to just ignore him, turning back into her book. She had thought he had taken the hint and left, because he didn't say anything and the card shuffling sounds had stopped. But then, from right next to her she heard, "Love is two heart's touchin' Chere, an' dey don't need ta be kissin' or holding hands." Glancing sideways, she quickly pulled away as her cheek almost came in contact with Remy's, who was leaning in over her shoulder.

"Are ya crazy Swamp Rat, ya can't keep getting tha' close ta meh!" She pulled herself over to the opposite end of the couch and turned to face the grinning Cajun, who vaulted himself over the armrest and sat down where she had just been.

Leaning back against the armrest, one arm draped over the back of the couch, he tried to look confused and innocent. "Wha're you talkin' about Chere? I was jus' tryin' ta see wha' it was you were readin'. Can't blame a man fo' bein' curious 'bout de unkown."

"Curiousity killed the Rat, an' in this case it's going ta kill you Remy. Fah mah sake an' yall's stop trying ta get too close ta me, please."

"Fair 'nough Chere. Don' want ta make you uncomfortable."

"Ya always make meh uncomfortable Remy. Must be the way ya lie and use meh all tahme. How ya try an' be mah friend but ya always are playing some game. Rahght things, wrong reasons Remy."

Remy's face went dark with a frown. She could tell she had hit a nerve there. "I mean it when I say I'm sorry 'bout dat Rogue, I really am. If dere were another way I woulda used it. It was family."

"Ya coulda asked!" she said. "Ah woulda hated doing it but Ah woulda helped!"

"Wasn't too sure 'bout dat Chere. I'm gunna make it up ta you, I promise."

"Fahne, since ya ain't gunna stop trying, ya can start bah givin' me mah space. Last thing Ah want is more of you in mah head." She got up and headed to the exit, hoping the privacy of her room would keep Remy away. "An' yeah, they're a cute couple. Ya mess that up an' Ah'll kill ya." She left.

"Don't worry Chere," he said to himself. "Gambit got somet'ng a bit harder to do in mind."

-------------

Despite the joy the teens of the mansion felt that two of their own had finally come together, the next week in the mansion was a long and stressful one. Kurt and Alex had slipped out of the party early and had decorated both Kitty and Bobby's rooms with wedding decorations and just married banners. Bobby's retaliatory act of pasting pictures of a sleeping Kurt curled up with a teddy bear and sucking on a thumb all over the kitchen the next morning sparked a prank war the likes the mansion had never seen. As he got ready in the morning for school the next day, Bobby found his entire wardrobe switched with Jean's, and an angry redhead banging on his door. That night, with Jean using her power to ensure Kurt stayed asleep and Kitty getting them into the locked room, Bobby shaved "I -heart- Alex" into the fur of Kurt's chest.

Things spiraled out of control, with more and more people being drawn into it. It ended with Kurt's retaliation to Bobby switching all the shampoo in the bathroom with Nair (which Kurt and several others narrowly avoided). Bobby was pulled out bed Saturday morning by an irate Logan, who demanded to know how Bobby, his bed, and Kitty, who was still sleeping peacefully on the other side of it, had ended up on the roof. When Bobby finished explaining the situation, Logan ended the war by declaring the next time anything happened, the entire institute would be getting triple Danger Room workouts, including the injured Bobby.

This put an end to things instantly, as they were already experiencing enough of the Danger Room. Logan had been running them all twice as hard as he normally did, focusing on teamwork and strategy more than ever. Often they would run the Danger Room in the morning before school, then the outside obstacle courses in the afternoon after school. He was also giving them homework, demanding they write reports on known Brotherhood members, or proper tactics in various situations. While he could not participate in the Danger Room itself, Bobby found himself swamped by just as much of Logan's homework, if not more, as everyone else.

The rough regime calmed down after Logan's threat of triple Danger Room sessions. As he overheard them leaving that morning's session he realized that the majority of them, particularly the New Mutants who hadn't been on the mission in the first place, were focusing less on the implications of the team's failure on a grander scale and more on the fact it forced them to spend more time in the Danger Room. Most of the X-Men recognized the training as helping them to prevent a similar loss, but were getting to the point of just wanting to win to ensure normal Danger Room training afterwards. So Logan put them back on a normal training schedule, though he did keep assigning them the profiling homework.

-------------

Rogue was in the middle of outlining ways she could beat Pyro if she was ever in a one on one battle with him when she decided to take a break. She pulled away from the keyboard and took her headphones off. Rubbing her eyes as she stood, she walked a few laps around her room as she stretched her arms above her head. She stopped her walk as someone knocked on her door.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed it in hopes of relieving some of the pressure that just exploded into her head. She really hoped it wasn't Gambit knocking again. Ever since he moved to the mansion with Colossus, Remy had been bothering her seemingly non-stop. If it wasn't overt flirting with her, it was his attempt at sad puppy dog eyes at her in hopes she would forgive him for what happened in New Orleans. In truth, she sort of had. Rogue realized she had a short temper, and she could hold a grudge like no other, but her anger towards the Cajun had died down not long after the incident. Seeing him again as he stood over her a few weeks ago after a moment of weakness on her part, her anger had certainly flared back up, but his sins against her paled in comparison to her mother's. He had at least genuinely wanted to help someone other than himself when he had used her. Rogue had thought of telling him she just wanted to drop the whole thing and forget about it, but she knew that would be an invitation for more flirting on his part.

Not that there was anything wrong with that, part of her mind said. With a frown she tried to push those thoughts out of her head. She had an inkling that it was some part of Kitty still floating around in her head whenever she thought about Remy as anything other than a disgusting annoyance, when she thought about how sexy his eyes were or how dashing he could be. At least, she hoped to God it was some part of Kitty. Her last crush, on Scott Summers of all people, didn't end very well, putting her through far more heartache then she had ever let on. She had managed to keep a friendship with her team leader, but his choice of little-miss-perfect-except-for-a-complete-lack-of-personality Jean Grey over her still got under her skin.

Depression washed over her as she remembered she wouldn't have been able to touch Scott anyways. And even if those thoughts about Remy were hers and not just bits of all the psyches she had absorbed over the last few years, she couldn't touch him either. It was pointless for her to think about love, of romance, of ever being anything other than alone because she could never touch anyone.

But her mind involuntarily slipped back to Remy's words from earlier, "Love is two heart's touchin' Chere, an' dey don't need ta be kissin' or holding hands." She remembered Remy coming into her room a week ago, the night of the dance and before their trip to the Vault, and holding her bare hand with his gloved hand. "It more den you allow yourself ta have Rogue. Cuttin' yourself off from da world ain't goin' solve not'in'. You have ta make do wit what you got."

"Idiot," she said to herself. "What the hell does he know? He's just playin' meh."

The knock on her door came again, louder this time. "Rogue, you in there?" Amara's voice came through the door.

Staring at the door for a second before realizing Amara was not Remy, she went to the door and opened it. "Hey Amara, didn't hear ya."

"It's okay, I figured you had your headphones on. Someone's here to see you. She's in the parlor."

"She?" Rogue asked, suspicious. "Who is it? It better not be Mystique."

The look on Amara's face said everything: she hadn't even thought about that. "I don't know, maybe? Why would Mystique walk in the front door though?"

"Ah don't know, but Ah'm gunna find out. Thanks Amara." Rogue walked past the younger girl and headed for the stairs, furious that her mother would show up here after everything she had put Rogue and Kurt through. Rogue always knew she would have to see Mystique again, and part of her was glad the inevitable confrontation would take place in the calm of the mansion's parlor and not a battlefield somewhere. Now if Ah could only think of something ta say, she thought as she walked into the parlor.

Sitting on a sofa patently waiting was a woman in her mid thirties. She had short brown hair and though she was plainly dressed in jeans and a blouse was quite beautiful. Her beauty was diminished somewhat by the large, dark glasses she wore. Leaning close by her was a long white cane. She turned her head slightly as Rogue entered the room.

"Irene!" the girl exclaimed. "What the hell are ya doin' here?"

The blind woman smiled in the direction of Rogue. "Hello Anna Marie, it is good to hear your voice again."

"Ah thought Ah told you not to call meh that anymore."

"I'm sorry Rogue, but you'll always be my little girl in my mind."

Rogue scoffed. "Was Ah your little girl when ya gave meh over to Apocalypse?"

"Rogue... Raven and I were only doing what we thought—"

"Was best ta keep meh safe, yeah, Ah've heard it."

The sat in silence for a full minute, Irene sitting on the couch while Rogue stood near the door, her back slightly to Irene and her arms crossed over her chest in anger. Eventually it was Irene who spoke first. "Please sit down Rogue. I had come here hoping to heal the rift between us, if just enough to tell you of the visions I've had."

"Visions? What visions?" Rogue said, turning back to her.

"In time, please, sit." Rogue reluctantly sat in the chair next to the chair next to the sofa. "I wish you hadn't stopped calling."

"An' Ah wish you had told meh Mystique was mah mother!" Rogue said, standing up again. She began to pace the room. "Ah wish you had told meh she'd been pretendin' ta be mah friend! Ah wish you an' her would stop using meh! Ah wish a lot of things Irene."

"It wasn't my place to tell you."

"Wasn't your place! You're mah mother too! Ah had every right ta know the truth!"

"You did. But it was Raven's choice. Somehow she thought it would protect you, I'm not sure how though. I think her fear of how she lost Kurt weighed heavily on many of her decisions regarding you. I have tried to get her to see what she is doing only further damages your relationship, but she is stubborn. Her greatest strength is her independence, but so to is it her greatest weakness. I do know she loves you, and has never used you for her own gain. She has manipulated you, yes, but she always felt she had your best interest at heart."

"Coulda fooled me," Rogue said with huff as she sat down again in the chair. "Where is she anyways, with Magneto?"

"No, she is not. Her mission is important, but it has nothing to do with Magneto. She wishes she could be here to see you though."

Rogue scoffed. "Yeah, right. Ah'm sure she does Ah sure as hell don't want to see her."

Irene's brow creased behind the glasses. "I know you're angry Rogue, but we did what we had to do to keep you safe. The visions I had, none of them showed Apocalypse being defeated. We thought it would keep you safe."

"Without meh he still would have been locked up."

"He would have been released eventually. His power would have grown, and the darkness he unleashed would have destroyed us all. We took what we thought was the best option."

"Ah thought ya saw the future."

"I see possibilities, and only some at that. The visions come and go. But the future is always changing, so we have a chance to change it ourselves. It is what Raven and I have tried to do for years. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail. And sometimes Raven runs off and does what she thinks best, despite what I see."

"Like use her own daughter tahme after tahme. Does she have any ahdea what she's done to meh?"

"She does. She has many regrets about you Rogue. Many times she wished she could be there, wished life could have turned out differently. Where we could have been the family we always tried to be." She reached out her hand and closed it over Rogue's gloved one.

Rogue closed her fingers around Irene's. As angry as she may be with Irene, she was the mother that had hurt her least. "Regret doesn't change things. She's hurt meh, and she's hurt Kurt too many tahmes."

"Don't completely close your heart off to her Rogue."

"Ah could never trust her again."

"I'm not asking you to trust her, just stop hating her so much, so that when the time comes where she is ready to be the mother you wish she had been, you will be able to give her that chance."

Rogue thought for a long time without saying anything. Finally she said, "Fahne. Ah'll do it for you. If she comes looking just ta talk, Ah'll listen. But if Ah find out she's trying ta hurt me or Kurt or mess with us or trying ta use us for somethin', she better hope Ah never see her again, 'cause Ah'll kill her."

Irene's face darkened, but she did not respond to what Rogue said. Instead she changed the subject. "Are you willing to listen to what I have to say about the future?"

"Of course, it must be important if ya came here ta tell meh."

"I've told you the future is constantly changing, but I have seen a darkness coming that does not change. I cannot see what it represents, what danger lies ahead, but in every future it exists. I have seen some futures where it devours the world. I have seen others where it is turned back. I have seen some that a struggle persists against it for as far ahead as I can see. And always in the middle, always close by are the X-Men.

"Dark days are coming Rogue, and like the previous dark times you will play a large role."

"Thanks for actually telling meh about it this tahme," Rogue said with a smirk.

"You are old enough to understand. You were before, but like I said, mother's like to remember their daughters as little girls. Now, there is one path that I have seen, perhaps the hardest to walk but the one with the best outcome. Whatever this darkness is, it clouds my visions like nothing else before has, and I can not make sense of most of it. I wish there was more details I could give you, but I will do my best. This path is one that starts in rising chaos and flame, but I see the darkness pushed away by the light. I do not know what it will take to start this path, or if perhaps it has already begun like I feel. But if you Rogue, if you let despair get the best of you when things are at their worst, all hope will be lost."

"So if Ah stay happy, things will work out?" she asked after a moment. "Ah think we all might be in trouble Irene."

Despite the gravity of the visions Irene was sharing, they both managed to laugh at this. "I know you powers are a curse to you. But if you stay strong, keep the urge to fight, and don't become overwhelmed by what happens around you, you and the X-Men will have the strength to persevere."

Rogue was silent again, much longer this time. The fate of the world had just been placed on the shoulders of her emotional state, which was fragile to be at best. Could she handle that? She didn't think so. She decided to push it aside for now. "We're the X-Men Mother," she said softly. "We'll do our best, all of us. We've been training harder. Xavier's had a vision of the future too."

"He has? How? Has his powers developed this far already?" she said, almost to herself.

"Huh? He says when he was under Apocalypse's control he saw into his mind. He didn't tell us specifically what he saw, just that he's worried about what's coming."

"I was going to try and avoid speaking with him during my visit here, but I think I would very much like to speak with him now, if you will take me there."

Rogue stood and offered her arm to Irene, who took it and stood. It was a strange sensation for Rogue, as she lead one of her mothers to Xavier's office. She had done this so often when she was a child, but it had been years since she had done it last. When she had hit puberty and was told she had a skin condition, that she must cover up and not touch others to protect herself and every one around her (she realized now that it must have been Mystique posing as the doctor), she had started to pull away from Irene, both emotionally and physically. Even covered she would not touch her mother. She had stopped calling her Mother and started calling her Irene, at the same time insisting she be called Rogue. Even now she didn't want to be reminded of those times and had stayed Rogue, especially since she found out her Mama's true identity.

But now, with her mother on her arm like so many times before when she was a child, Rogue felt something stirring in her. She stopped them and said softly, "Mother, are ya really sorry about everything?"

"Despite everything turning out alright in the end? Yes, I am."

Rogue hugged her mother, careful not to touch her skin. "Ah'm sorry too."

------------

Sunday morning found Dani and Kitty sitting in the Rec Room playing Super Smash Bros. with Illyana. The two girls had taken a real liking to the youngest Rasputin over the last few weeks of her being in the mansion. She was inquisitive, fascinated by almost everything in their lives, and very smart for her age. She also had come to idolize the two older girls, and while they didn't take advantage of that, they certainly enjoyed the feeling.

"So he's going to take you to New York?" Illyana asked Kitty, a look of awe on her face. "I've always wanted to see New York."

Dani laughed a bit. "But you were in New York."

"Bah!" she said, her face furled up. "I was locked up by that bad man. I want to see the Statue of Library."

"I think you mean Liberty," Kitty said with a smile. "Sometime we'll take you up there. I've never seen it either. Bobby says it'll be the first thing we do."

Dani laughed again. "Sure. I know you Kitty, you'll drag him to a museum and never leave."

"I'm not that big of a nerd, jeez."

"Yes you are!"

"Whatever."

"Okay, then stop playing the video game."

"Just because I like to play video games sometimes doesn't mean I'm a nerd. Besides, you're playing too."

"What else am I going to do, watch you and Bobby make out some more?"

"We totally do not make out all the time."

"Really? What else do you two do? Should we send Illyana away so you can tell me?"

"Okay, we've been going out for a week, we're not doing anything like that, dork."

"Nerd."

"Dweeb."

"Geek."

"Pointdexter."

"You're just jealous I just totally owned you."

"Cause you're a nerd."

"I like Bobby, he is very funny," Illyana said, knowing full well that the conversation would go on forever if she didn't say anything.

Kitty looked away from the screen and poked her in the arm. "Do you have a crush on my boyfriend?"

"Ewww, he is a boy."

Kitty just laughed, which erupted into pure hysterics as Illyana eliminated Dani. Throwing her controller down in anger, Dani left the couch.

"Don't worry 'yana, you'll change your mind someday."

Dani meanwhile had walked to the window and was looking outside when she let out a cry. "Kitty! Oh my god, get over here."

"What is it?" Kitty said, hearing the panic in Dani's voice.

"Look!" she said, pointing out the window.

Kitty ran to where Dani was standing and looked outside. "Oh no, that is not good! _Professor!" _she screamed in her head. "_We have trouble outside!"_

Professor Xavier, who was having morning tea and reading the paper in his office wheeled his chair to window and saw the large silver sphere dropping out of the sky and landing on the front lawn of the mansion.

"_X-Men!_" he sent to the entire mansion. _"Emergency on the front lawn! Magneto is here!"_

_

* * *

_

**Authors Note: Sorry this took so long folks, life is in the way lately. I was also hoping to have the rest of this episode of the DPV finished and post this at the same time, but I've run out of time to write this weekend. Look for chapters 12 and 13 soon within the next few days.**

**I am also angry at as I've just noticed that they won't let me use less than 3 to represent a heart. **


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

The sphere circled almost lazily over the front grounds of the mansion before coming to rest on the grass between the fountain and the mansion. The mansion's automated defenses emerged from various points in the walkway, bushes and the fountain itself and launched a volley at the sphere, but they then shuddered slightly and retreated back into whatever hiding spots they had originally been concealed in.

As the defenses retracted, the X-Men rushed out of the front door, many still in their pajamas. Cyclops came out first, already dressed and checking that his visor was secure. Wolverine followed him, the short Canadian had a snarl on his face and his fists were clenched. Jean and Rogue were both still in tank tops and pajama bottoms, though Rogue was strapping the pouch of throwing discs she had grabbed from her dresser to her hip. A lot of her skin was exposed and she felt vulnerable as she tried to keep her distance from the others. Nightcrawler teleported next to Cyclops, his tail swishing in the air and patches of fur sticking up at odd angles. He had still been asleep when the message came from Xavier. Laura had leapt off the balcony of her room and landed as lightly as a cat on the ground near Wolverine. Unlike him, she unsheathed her claws immediately. Colossus came to stand on the other side of Cyclops, the metal of his bare chest gleaming in the sun. Gambit stood close to Rogue with a charged card in his hand and the other gripping his expanded staff. His trademark coat, which he wore over a tank top and pair of boxers blew in the wind being kicked up by Storm, who was floating down from her rooftop greenhouse with arms outstretched. Shadowcat, Mirage and Magma stayed farther back on one side of Xavier, who wheeled out with Beast and Sunspot on his other side and Havok, Boom Boom and Beserker forming another line in from of him. Inside the mansion, the Rasputins watched along side Iceman, Multiple and Wolfsbane, who were ordered to stay back.

The Institute mutants, formed in two lines around Xavier, waited as the sphere rested without moving. "He disabled the defenses," Beast said quietly, looking at a few of the cannons that had not fully retracted and hung limp.

"Let's cut that thing open," Wolverine said with a slight sideways look at Laura.

"No!" Cyclops said. "Wait and see what we're up against."

The sphere was much larger than any one they had seen Magneto use before. "He spring for zhe minivan?" Nightcrawler asked.

"Focus, we don't want a repeat of last week, not on our turf," Cyclops said.

The top of the sphere cracked open and the seemingly solid and smooth metal broke into sections and retracted into itself while the front split open and revealed a ramp. Magneto walked down this ramp, his cape billowing in the wind and his helmet gleaming in the sun. Beside him walked Wanda with her large coat, and Quicksilver seemed to appear out of no where in front of them. Behind them walked the tall, dusky black man Bishop and the pale, black-haired woman Sage. Lastly, towering above them all, came the Juggernaut.

They fanned out, with Magneto standing in the center with his arms crossed over his ches and his cape sweeping behind him. The others came to focus on the X-Men, forming a line behind and to the sides of Magneto. Bishop's fingers lazily stroked the butt of one his pistols while Sage bent to examine one of the unretracted cannons next to her. She looked for a moment as if she was fascinated with the technology and disassembling it in her mind, but then suddenly pushed it away with lost interest, sending it spinning around on its rotating arm. Juggernaut cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing loudly off the brick of the mansion. Quicksilver stood next to his sister, his eyes glancing at rapid speed from one X-Man to another. Wanda stood with her hands in her pockets, the tail of her coat blowing almost in rhythm with her father's cape.

There the two sides stood, at least twenty feet between them as they eyed each other, some more nervously that others, until finally Magneto stepped forward to close some distance. "Hello Charles. I did not expect such a large welcome from you."

Charles wheeled his way to the front of his students, assuring them with a wave of his hand that it would be okay. "You have chosen to appear unannounced Erik. There are those who might consider that an act of aggression, considering our precarious relationship."

"I apologize for not phoning ahead. But as you can tell, we are not here to fight you."

"As much as we want to be," muttered Juggernaut under his breath, though due to his size it came out quite loud. Bishop and Sage both gave menacing glances at him.

Magneto ignored him and continued. "On the contrary, we are here to discuss our mutual future Charles."

"I wasn't aware that we had one. I was under the impression that we severed ties long ago, over disagreements to large to settle. Though, I admit, a reconciliation would be welcomed in these troubled times." His shoulders slumped and he looked much older for a moment before he recomposed himself.

"Indeed old friend," Magneto said with a smile. "After all, we are both seeking the same ends. But we cannot deny that the climate is shifting, moving us away from those goals we set so long ago. I am sorry to say that it has become obvious that mankind is taking the stance that I said they would take. They have not welcomed us with open arms," he said with a hint of sarcasim, "and even now prepare to make war with us. The Sentinel program has not ceased since the defeat of Apocalypse. One spark would unleash their wrath against us."

Xavier let out a sigh and shook his head. "And yet you continue to create them by attacking military facilities and freeing dangerous criminals."

Juggernaut stepped forward, punching his fist into his hand. "Nothing I would like to do more than tear down your mansion and smash in your face brother, right in front of your little kids. Show you how dangerous I really am."

"You will do no such thing." Colossus had moved in front of Juggernaut, a full head shorter than the giant. He glared upwards with his pure silver eyes, his face stoic and unreadable despite the menace in his voice.

"Don't worry Tin Man, we'll go another round someday and I'll crush you like a can. But like I was trying to tell my dear brother, we've all got bigger problems than me to worry about."

"Both of you stand down," Magneto said, pushing each of them away from the other with a wave of his hand. He turned back to Xavier. "We did not come here for a physical confrontation. I have come to extend my invitation to Avalon one last time."

"And what is it you plan to do with Avalon Erik?" Xavier asked. "Is that where you will launch your attack on humanity? Is it your stronghold of power that you will wield in the name of mutants everywhere? Your training ground for the next generation of mutants that will terrorize the world?"

"If need be, yes. I do not deny that I am willing to fight the humans if necessary, but Avalon is our sanctuary more than anything. Once, long ago, we argued over whether or not we should isolate ourselves and our people from humanity, to allow them to grow and prosper as a people outside of humanity. I have come to see, perhaps for now, that is what is needed. We need to discover ourselves, to determine how we will shape the world to come. And only together in Brotherhood will we weather the coming storm.

"You know better than anyone Charles that there are those of us who can aide so many, those who can heal and whose gifts are of great minds. How do you propose they stop a Sentinel, who does not care what good a mutant might bring to the world? On Avalon we can protect them."

"We protect them better by showing the world the good we can bring to us all," Xavier said. "Even I came to the conclusion that isolation would only hurt us in the end. We only increase their fear by hiding away. Now that we have been exposed we must be open. By being open and building relationship with humanity we help to show we are not monsters, but that we only wish to live in peace."

"As you have been doing for years Xavier. How peaceful has your lives been?"

"Would be a lot more peaceful if we weren't fightin' you and your goons all the time bub," Wolverine said, pointing at Magneto to emphasize his point.

"Of course, the very presence of Logan brings chaos and trouble to your doorstep," Magneto said dismissively. He turned to the students. "You are ridiculed, feared and shunned by your fellow classmates at school. For every friend you have kept after your secret was revealed, you have lost a dozen. Even when they know the power you wield, they attack you. This world does not want you, does not want you to live peacefully with it but to leave it. Why do you continue to deny your own safety and happiness by living this life?"

"I know what joining you is like," Cyclops said. "We're not going to be your soldiers for you so you can wage your war."

"Even if it meant protecting your own people against what you know is coming?" Magneto asked. "Why do you train in the Danger Room Cyclops? Controlling your powers and strategic application of them are hardly the same thing. You know as well as I do that Xavier is training you to prevent history from repeating itself. United we will have that ability, and will be able to protect more than just ourselves, but all mutantkind."

"What do you mean history repeating?" Cyclops asked, his voice faltering a bit.

Magneto scanned the crowd gathered in front of him. He could see Xavier's face pale, and the ones who had been with him the longest, the original X-Men, were glancing sideways at one another. Behind him, he could hear Juggernaut chuckling, the deep base shaking the ground ever so slightly.

"Oh this is too good baby Brother, you didn't even bother telling them," Juggernaut laughed.

"What are they talking about Professor?" Jean said softy to her mentor.

Magneto was not laughing like the Juggernaut. Instead they could see that he wore a deep frown on his face, his eyes a mix of sadness, pity and anger. "How many secrets do you plan on keeping from these children Charles? How many lies? They have a right to know the danger they are in."

"Professor, whatever it is, we'll understand," Cyclops said, though his voice betrayed that he was very unsure.

Xavier was quiet as all eyes fell upon him in silent attention. Even Juggernaut had stopped his chuckling, waiting to see if Xavier would confess to some of his past sins. But the wheelchair bound man said nothing.

"Very well Charles, if you will not tell them then I will," Magneto said. "Several years before meeting any of you, Charles and I worked with a group of mutants in San Francisco. We had set up a boarding house there, taking in mutants from the streets or the local neighborhoods. We knew that someday the general populous would discover mutants, and we endeavored to have for them a shining example of the good mutantkind could do for the world. We had already been helping individual mutants for years, but it was the first time we decided to teach many at once. We helped them to control their powers, to be confident in who and what they were. And then while we were out helping to bring another young man into our fold, the house was attacked, the children kidnapped.

"We found them eventually, the captives of a military operation in the vein of Weapon X, run by a man named Striker."

Wolverine let out a growl. "I see you recognize the name Logan," Magneto continued. "The children were experimented on, and eventually they had been killed."

"Not all," Xavier said at last.

"No, but her fate was worse, was it not?"

Silence once again fell on both sides, but the looks on people's faces were far louder than words. They varied, from the dark and grim looks on Wolverine and Laura to the scared and worried looks on some of the New Mutants. But the X-Men's faces, the students that had been with Xavier the longest, there were looks of sadness but determination.

"That wasn't your fault Professor, or Magneto's," Scott said, breaking the silence. "You couldn't have known what would have happened."

"You were teaching those children to live peacefully Charles," Hank said softly, "like you taught me so many years ago. It wasn't your way to train them to fight, and even now that is not your primary goal."

"You've helped so many of us Professor, given us a dream to follow and hope for the future, and that help includes keeping us safe," Jean said. "The same thing won't happen again. We won't let it."

Xavier's eyes met Magneto's. "These students are better prepared Erik. We know the dangers this time, we are ready for them."

"But you recognize that they are there! You see now that there will always be those who fear the very idea of your dream. Pacifism does not solve our problem Charles, and it never will. There are too many who see mutants as a plague, or as weapons to be exploited. Your X-Men are well trained to defend themselves. Yet on Avalon not only will they be far removed and difficult to attack, but when it comes they will be protecting many helpless mutants."

"What of the mutants who don't join you Erik, those who wish to stay with their family and friends, who wish a normal life? Who will protect them? You speak of attacks, and yet every resistance from humanity we have faced since San Francisco has been due to you adding fuel to the fire! You claim you want to live peacefully and yet you continually goad humans into attacking us. If we are ever to live in peace it must be with them, we must prove we are not the evil lurking among them or just outside ready to attack. And I have no reason to believe that is exactly what you are planning on doing. You are building your army, waiting for the time to strike."

"You are always the same Charles!" Magneto said, his voice rising. "Always bowing down, never taking a stand to show the humans they cannot break us!"

"On the contrary Erik, I show them everyday by not becoming their worst fears."

They could see the anger boiling in Magneto's eyes as he stared at Xavier. But then they softened as he looked at all those surrounding him. "Not all your students must feel the same way Xavier. Some will follow me eventually. They will come to see that humanity will always hate and fear them, that only their own kind will offer any sort of solace. One day they will come to see what needs to be done we will take our rightful place of power."

"I thought your time with Apocalypse might have changed you Erik. I was wrong. You will continue to move us towards war, giving them a reason to build Sentinels, to hunt us down and destroy us. You will play the monster they already fear exists in us. You claim you want to save us from the horrors of your childhood, but it is you who will bring about their Registration Acts and the camps that you fear so much."

It happened quickly. Magneto through out his hand and Xavier's chair began to fly backwards towards the line of mutants as it crushed around Xavier's crippled legs. Beast attempted to catch him but the force of Magneto's power sent the chair crashing into the blue mutant and both flew backwards until Jean caught them in a TK bubble. Her face contorted as she worked against Magneto's power. Cyclops brought his hand to his visor and let a beam go at Magneto's head. It reflected off a shield created by the helmeted mutant and flew into the air. Colossus lunged forward and buried his fist into Juggernaut's stomach while Sage launched a volley of energy pistol blasts at the X-Men, sending many of them diving to the ground out of the way. Wolverine and Laura both lunged forward towards her, but Bishop sent them both reeling back with twin blasts from his hands. Gambit attempted to throw a card at Magneto but his coat was pulled over his head and tied around his throat before he could even lift his arm. Rogue heard him call out and turned to see what happened when she felt herself start to be lifted off the ground by a vortex that formed around her. Her ascent was shifted to the side as a giant gust of wind from Storm blew Rogue and Pietro off their feet.

With a wave of her hand, Wanda ended it just as quickly as it began. Eye and hand beams flew harmlessly in improbable directions, magnetic and telekinetic powers turned off, and those with strength were immobilized.

But as the hex washed over crowd of battling mutants, it touched on one girl who was crouching on the ground with her hands over her head, trying her hardest to keep from reaching a full panic. Her powers to generate fear and nightmares grew harder and harder to control when she herself was afraid. It was her first experience in any sort of battle with the X-Men, her Danger Room training having been mostly team building and obstacle courses, and she could feel her control slipping. As the hex came over her, that control was wrenched away from her and with a scream Danielle Moonstar's powers were released.

Wanda watched in horror as creatures of black shadows and silver fangs sprang into existence and faded away just as quickly, disappearing into a noxious green fog was forming around them. The grounds of the mansion distorted into a waste of dying trees and the mansion changed into a towering structure of twisted brick and metal, jagged iron bars on all the windows, and terrifying screams echoing out of the doorway, which seemed to reach out to her. She felt hands grab her by the arms and begin to march her forward towards the gaping doors. Franticly looking left and right she saw soldiers made out of pure metal, their stoic faces ignoring her as they dragged her to the building. From all around her she heard unintelligible whispers and manic laughing.

She jerked her arms out of the soldiers's grasps and fell forward. She could sense them reaching for her again. "No!" she screamed out, rolling onto her back and thrashed out with her legs as she tried to cover her face with her arms. "Stay away!"

"Wanda, are you all right?"

As quickly as the world had twisted, it reverted to normal. Magneto cradled her in his arms, kneeling on the ground beside her.

"Yes, I, what was that?" she asked, glancing at the mansion and finding some relief when she saw that it was back to its refined but inviting nature.

"Your hex caused the Moonstar girl to lose control."

She looked around and saw most people pulling themselves off the ground or from guarded positions. The only ones who didn't seem to be pulling themselves back together were Magneto and Juggernaut, whose mental dampening helmets had protected them somewhat, but both of their eyes told the story that they too had felt some of what everyone had just experienced. Her father puller her to her feet and he turned to look at Xavier. The wheelchair was being turned upright by Beast. He wore the same harrowed look on his face that most of the others did.

"I imagine your nightmare was as mine was Charles?"

"Worse, as I do not benefit from that ingenious helmet of yours."

He looked out over the X-Men, and over at Bishop who was holding Sage gently. "I believe there have been enough unpleasantries here for one day. My invitation to Avalon stands, though I doubt you will ever have the sense to take it."

"And I do not think you will ever take my invitation to turn away from this path you are on."

Magneto looked at Colossus and spoke again. "You may take your family home Colossus, I will not bother them again. As you can see, I have little need of you with Juggernaut by my side." He took his daughter by the shoulders turned towards the sphere. The others climbed in before him, and he walked up the ramp last behind Wanda. Pausing at the top he looked back over his shoulder towards Xavier, a smirk on his face. "I pray our next meeting is as peaceful as this one."

Xavier returned the half smile. "As do I old friend, as do I."

Magneto took the last steps into the sphere and turned back to look out the opening. The last thing Xavier saw as the sphere sealed around them was the dark outline of the trimming on Magneto's helmet.


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The sphere lifted off the ground before opening had finished sealing. As soon as it was closed, Magneto ripped off his helmet and ran a gloved hand through his sweat soaked hair. "The girl's power is so much stronger than I ever imagined," he muttered to himself.

"It was most likely Wanda's powers that amplified them. Perhaps the chaotic nature of nightmares and the unstable improbabilities that Wanda's powers affect boosted one another," Sage said. She was sitting to Magneto's left in the sphere. This particular sphere was one Magneto had constructed in order to carry many people comfortably, rather than quickly. Unlike other spheres, this one was designed with a large, circular bench for the occupants to sit on as the sphere traveled. Normally made completely of metal, Pietro had insisted on putting cushioning in this sphere if they were going to be in it for such a long period of time.

"That was a nightmare?" Pietro said. "I thought she could just turn the ground to quicksand and make your feet disappear."

"Obviously you need to read the reports I'm generating on each of the students at the Xavier Institute," Sage said curtly. "Danielle Moonstar, codename: Mirage. Known powers include the control over the dreams and the creation of waking nightmares based off a person's deepest fears. She has also displayed minor psychic abilities as evidence with her experience with Kitty Pryde, although control of all her powers is currently limited."

"Nightmares huh? Crappy power," he said. He put his arm around his sister. "So what did you see Sis? Fields of flowers and unicorns?"

She violently shrugged his arm off her shoulder. "I was dating Toad and he was acting just like you. I don't want to remember it." She had a look of disgust on her face, but her mind flashed back to the hellish landscape the world had turned into and shuddered involuntarily.

"What's wrong with me?" Pietro said, though everyone ignored him.

Magneto turned to Sage. "What of your mission?"

"The virus was properly uploaded into the weapons system of the mansion. I hardly think they noticed I was downloading information as I examined their defenses. I calculate it will take approximately six point four hours after a diagnostic is run on the weapons before the virus has infiltrated and disabled Cerebro."

"Charles will not detect it?"

"No. It will search through the last month's records and redisplay any without anomalous readings at random. I estimate that as long as there are no major crisis that arise that draws public attention, Xavier will remain unaware that anything is wrong for a least two weeks."

"Which should give Cassandra adequate time to operate Cerebra undetected," Magneto said, resting his head against the cool metal of the sphere wall behind him. "Very good Sage. I regret that Xavier would not join us, but then I never expected him too."

"Some of his followers will come to you," Bishop said. "I could read it in their faces. They're scared Xavier's going to get them killed."

"We shall see," Magneto said.

"As long as it's not that Russian kid. He and I have unfinished business," Juggernaut said with a smile. Like Magneto, he had removed his helmet to reveal sweat soaked hair. "I don't know why you didn't just bust me out in the first place instead of recruiting that tin foiled pansy. And just letting him go like that."

"Colossus had his use," Magneto answered. "His family is inconsequential to me, though I will keep an eye on his sister to see if her x-gene activates. However, we will deal with Gambit and Colossus for their defection."

He let out a sigh. "This trip has been far more taxing then I ever imagined it would be. Brace yourselves, I will alter the sphere return us faster."

They could feel the sphere accelerate as Magneto stretched his hand upwards and concentrated. The contours of the interior changed as well, as the metal shaped itself into a more conical shape to cut through the air better.

Wanda suddenly felt a fresh surge of panic in her chest, like she had experienced when Mirage's powers had gone haywire. A lump formed in her throat, cutting off her breathing as her heart began to race. She gripped down tight on the cushions beneath her, her knuckles and face turning bone white. The entire sphere was collapsing in on her, getting tighter. It was impossible to breath. It hurt. This was wrong, all wrong. Her head was spinning. Spots formed before her. All she could feel was everything pushing down on her.

"Wanda?" she heard and the world snapped back to normal. She glanced around. Sage and Bishop were talking quietly to themselves, small smiles on their faces; Cain was leaning far back in his seat, arms crossed and eyes closed; Pietro was playing some video game with a pair of headphones on. Only her father was looking at her. "Are you alright Wanda?"

"Yeah," she said, "I'm okay. Just got a little claustrophobic as the shape shifted. Never liked these things."

"To tell you the truth, so do I sometimes. But they are conveniently hard to track." He smiled at her. "We'll be home soon. Spend some time outside, I find it helps."

"I will, thanks." She did feel a little better already. She knew she was still shaken up from that nightmare, and she'd forget about it when she made it back to Avalon. Ceres was teaching her a bit about gardening, and that seemed to always take her mind off things. She looked back over at her father and she could see him still smiling slightly at her, though there was concern in his eyes. She couldn't help but feel good about that, knowing that he was so concerned about her wellbeing. He was a good father, she was very thankful to have him in her life. Despite everything that he did for mutants, he had always been there for her. He had always been a source comfort for her.

The claustrophobia started to come back a little, a long with a buzzing in her head. She closed her eyes, trying to look like she was just trying to sleep a little as to not worry her father more, and focused on her breathing. The panic subsided, but the buzzing persisted. She had this sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong. But then she remembered where she was going, who she was with. She and Pietro were finally united full time with their father. They were out of the decrepite Brotherhood house and living on Avalon, a virtual paradise. Their father was there. Her father was there. No matter what bad things came in the future, her father was there and would help make things better. He always has, she told herself. He's always fixed everything, always made her happy, always been there for her. Always.

Hadn't he?

* * *

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who's stuck with me through this and reviewed; you've really helped inspire me to continue, and to try and stay as timely as possible in updates, which I may or may not have been.**

**As this part of the DPV series comes to a close, I'm happy with it and the direction it is heading, and hopefully you are too. If you aren't, tell me about it and I'll try and fix it. If you liked this, tell your friends, as the more reviews and hits I receive, the happier I get with what I'm doing and I work harder at it.**

**Before I begin part three of the DPV series, Disassembled, I'm going to be taking a break and writing a few other things, one of which is a story that is a sort of spin-off of DPV, but works as a standalone story as well. I plan on it being very upbeat and it should be a lot of fun for all involved. Check my profile to see exactly what I'm up to.**

**Again, thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed.**


End file.
